House of Lords Business

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported (1) abduction, and (2) forced marriage, of Farah Shaheen in Pakistan; what assessment they have made of the number of similar cases in that country; how, and with whom, they raise cases of (a) abduction, (b) forced marriage, and (c) forced conversion, in Pakistan; when they last… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum applications made by Hong Kong residents were (1) accepted, and (2) rejected, in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, and (c) 2021 to date.  HL12398

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that more than 58,000 refugees have fled into neighbouring countries to escape the conflict in Tigray; and what estimate they have made of the percentage of the 79.5 million people estimated by the UNHCR to be currently… 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, if any, of the article by Matthew Scott in the Spectator The legal profession’s troubling relationship with China, published on 20 January; and what plans they have to discuss the participation of British lawyers serving as prosecutors in Hong Kong with (1) the Bar Council, (2) the Law… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcome of the Africa Investment Conference held on 20 January; and what plans they have to follow up on any commitments made at that Conference.  HL12401

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) countries, (2) businesses, and (3) organisations, were represented at the Africa Investment Conference held on 20 January; and whether a recording of that event will be available publicly online.  HL12402

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask Her Majesty's Government what method they intend to use measure the planned increase in UK investment in Africa; and what are the principal means by which they are supporting UK firms to make such investments.  HL12403

Baroness Anelay of St Johns to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in aligning the use of export credits with the UK’s commitments on climate change, including those related to (1) sustainable infrastructure, and (2) renewable energy.  HL12404

Baroness Barker to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to improve data sharing between the NHS, local authorities and directors of public health about the number of COVID-19 vaccinations that have been administered.  HL12405

Baroness Barker to ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they have provided to local authorities to assist in (1) identifying, (2) finding appropriate local vaccination settings in, and (3) administering COVID-19 vaccinations in, hard to reach communities.  HL12406

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide special leave and psychological support to NHS staff who have worked longer hours in a more stressful work environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL12407

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Economics Statistics Centre of Excellence Estimating the UK population during the pandemic, published on 14 January, what plans they have to change their plans for transport provision including HS2 as a result of population changes following (1) the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) th… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Economics Statistics Centre of Excellence Estimating the UK population during the pandemic, published on 14 January, what plans they have to adjust their plans for housing provision as a result of population changes following (1) the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the UK’s departure… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities have spent the funds allocated to them to support people self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic; how many such authorities are refusing new applications; and of those local authorities that are funding such payments from their own budgets, (1) how much they have spent on such payments,… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent the killing of satellite-tagged hen harriers.  HL12411

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial support to Eurostar; and if they have any such plans, whether they will require Eurostar to make any surplus rolling stock available to other operators.  HL12412

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of (1) the effect on bee populations of a pesticide containing neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, and (2) the effectiveness of other products that are less harmful to bees, before approving the emergency use of that pesticide to treat sugar beet seed.  HL12413

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the proposed reduction in Network Rail’s enhancement budget announced in the Spending Review 2020 on 25 November 2020, which projects will be affected by this reduction; and for each such project, what assessment they have made of the effects that the reduction will have on (1) project budgets, (2) completion dates, and (3)… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 19 January (HL12090), how many drivers in vehicles with non-UK number plates were identified as committing a speeding offence in the 2019/20 financial year; and how many of those drivers were fined.  HL12415

The Lord Bishop of Bristol to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Uganda about reports (1) of intimidation, (2) that that government restricted access to online services and social media, and (3) of other irregularities, during the general election in that country on 14 January.  HL12416

The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Armenian Churches in areas returned to Azerbaijan have been labelled as 'Caucasian Albanian'; what discussions they have with the government of Azerbaijan about such reports; and what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about ensuring that Armenian culture… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of reports of Azeri forces committing human rights abuses against Armenian prisoners of war; what steps they are taking to assist the return of all prisoners of war currently held following the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; and what plans they have to collate any information they… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the tripartite meeting between the governments of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on 11 January, what discussions they have had with the government of (1) France, and (2) the United States, about encouraging further involvement of the OSCE Minsk group in discussions about reaching a final settlement on the stat… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text

The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about returning prisoners of war currently held following the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.  HL12420

Lord Davies of Gower to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service will have on the ability of light aviation to make precision approaches to UK airports.  HL12421

Lord Davies of Gower to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain access to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service.  HL12422

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the New trans-Pennine roads study by Highways England, announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 21 March 2019; and when the results of that study will be announced.  HL12423

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government whether their proposed schemes to encourage new entrants into farming will provide new funding for county and unitary authorities to acquire more land to add to existing county farm estates; and whether they are discouraging local authorities from any further disposal of county farms.  HL12424

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which their levelling-up agenda will require measures to reduce growth in (1) London, and (2) the South East, alongside measures to increase growth in other areas of the country.  HL12425

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise the algorithms used to assess the benefits of transport investment schemes in order to support their levelling-up agenda.  HL12426

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of changes to the Green Book on the viability of proposed railway enhancement schemes; and whether there will be a greater emphasis on benefits related to regeneration and access to employment for people living in economically deprived areas.  HL12427

Baroness Harris of Richmond to ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have provided to students who have to continue paying for their university accommodation but cannot live there due to the restrictions n place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.  HL12428

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government whether special provision is made to help children with special needs of military serving personnel.  HL12429

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) foreign and commonwealth serving military personnel, and (2) foreign and commonwealth veterans, have a special point of contact in the Ministry of Defence.  HL12430

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger to ask Her Majesty's Government how they communicate with, and understand the needs of, the spouses and families of military personnel to enable them to offer appropriate support.  HL12431

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits to the rural populations of the Sahel of planting acorn varieties with regard to reducing (1) internal violence, (2) external migration and (3) desertification, and what plans they have to publicise any such benefits.  HL12432

Lord Jones of Cheltenham to ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not close the UK’s borders in March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic; and what assessment they have made of the impact of not closing the borders on the spread of COVID-19 in the UK.  HL12433

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the rate of COVID-19-related deaths in prison; and how any such steps are designed (1) to reduce the level, and (2) to mitigate the impact, of COVID-19 infections amongst women in prison.  HL12434

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enhance the availability of support services, and in particular housing support, for women being released from prison.  HL12435

Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021; and what plans they have to introduce similar legislation in relation to retail workers in England.  HL12436

Lord Lee of Trafford to ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total value of outstanding unclaimed Premium Bond prizes; how many of those are £1 million prizes; and what efforts are made to trace the winners of such unclaimed prizes.  HL12437

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be any legislative restrictions placed on the burning of coal by the UK heritage industry other than the ban on sales of house coal and wet wood in England.  HL12438

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to permit greater coal imports for the UK’s heritage market should the UK’s coal industry fail to meet the demands of that market.  HL12439

Baroness Masham of Ilton to ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about updated research on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and its safety recommendations for use by the public.  HL12440

Lord Moonie to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow local authorities to hold public meetings remotely after the 6 May local elections.  HL12441

Lord Moonie to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of trials of each of the COVID-19 vaccines for which they have placed orders; and when they expect to take delivery of the first doses of those vaccines.  HL12442

Lord Moonie to ask Her Majesty's Government what are the planning assumptions for bringing into service high-speed train connections to the HS2 route from Edinburgh and Glasgow.  HL12443

Lord Moonie to ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to changing the names of the Order of the British Empire and the British Empire Medal to remove references to the British Empire.  HL12444

Baroness Pinnock to ask Her Majesty's Government how many blocks of flats have aluminium composite material cladding; and how many of those blocks are (1) 18 metres or more in height, and (2) below 18 metres in height.  HL12445

Baroness Pinnock to ask Her Majesty's Government how many blocks of flats have flammable cladding other than aluminium composite material; and how many of those blocks are (1) 18 metres or more in height, and (2) below 18 metres in height.  HL12446

Baroness Pinnock to ask Her Majesty's Government how many households live in blocks of flats with flammable cladding.  HL12447

Baroness Pinnock to ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of removing and replacing flammable cladding on all blocks of flats.  HL12448

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government, following the UK’s departure from the EU, what plans they have to amend regulations concerning diabetic motorists.  HL12449

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government whether police officers will be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccinations.  HL12450

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invite the President and Vice President of the USA for a state visit to the UK.  HL12451

Lord Scriven to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that GP and hospital vaccination hubs are pausing vaccination programmes due to a lack of COVID-19 vaccination deliveries; and whether mass vaccination hubs in the same areas that GP and hospital hubs are pausing vaccinations, are experiencing similar delays.  HL12452

Lord Sikka to ask Her Majesty's Government how many penalty notices for late filing of company tax returns have been issued in accordance with each subsection of paragraphs 17 and 18 of Schedule 18 of the Finance Act 1998 for each of the last five years.  HL12453

Lord Sikka to ask Her Majesty's Government how many proceedings for insolvency have been initiated by HMRC for failure to pay taxes when they were due.  HL12454

Lord Sikka to ask Her Majesty's Government how many Company Voluntary Arrangements for financially distressed businesses were approved by HMRC in each of the last five years.  HL12455

Lord Sikka to ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion and value of UK Government bonds are held by the Bank of England.  HL12456

Lord Sikka to ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have an annual income of less than the £12,500 Personal Tax Allowance.  HL12457

Lord Truscott to ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of data from Israel on the effectiveness of the single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and of their decision to delay giving a second vaccine dose to people for up to 12 weeks.  HL12458

Lord Truscott to ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on new variants of COVID-19, what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine in tackling the new strains of the virus; and when results of any such assessment will be published.  HL12459

Viscount Waverley to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist less economically developed countries, in particular those countries where British civil servants and consular staff are based, in (1) accessing, and (2) administering, COVID-19 vaccinations.  HL12460