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House of Lords Business

See what is going on in the House of Lords today, as well as what has happened since June 1998. This includes the relevant Order Paper, Minutes of Proceedings, questions tabled and edition of House of Lords Business. These documents can also all be downloaded.

Questions for Written Answer for 6 January 2025

Tabled on 19 December 2024 and due for answer by 7 January.

Lord Berkeley to ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the rules for All-Party Parliamentary Groups requiring them to advertise their future meetings; and who is responsible for monitoring and enforcing any non-compliance.  HL3637
Answered
Lord Blunkett to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in relation to recruitment to the youth-led round tables and Youth Advisory Board in developing the National Youth Strategy.  HL3638
Answered
Lord Blunkett to ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to extend the consultation period for expressions of interest from top-tier and lower tier local government in England for forming the new combined authorities outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December.  HL3639
Answered
Lord Blunkett to ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to allowing enough time for the consultation for the proposed new combined authorities outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December, to be worked through.  HL3640
Answered
Lord Blunkett to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to align the work of the Office for Clean Energy Jobs with the work of Skills England, and what processes and structural framework they expect to be put in place to facilitate joint working between the two.  HL3641
Answered
Lord Browne of Ladyton to ask His Majesty's Government what support and funding, if any, they give to Indigenous Women’s Commissions in the various Colombian Indigenous Tribes (1) to support the legal training the commissions offer about sexual and gender-based violence, (2) to train magistrates in the Indigenous Justice System about gender, and (3) to support the work they do wit… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Browne of Ladyton to ask His Majesty's Government whether UK aid is being used to address the depletion of important ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia.  HL3643
Answered
Lord Browne of Ladyton to ask His Majesty's Government whether their Embassy in Bogotá has been monitoring the return of the displaced Wiwa Indigenous Communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, and what is their assessment of the security in that region for indigenous communities.  HL3644
Answered
The Earl of Caithness to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the update to the grey squirrel action plan; and if so, when.  HL3645
Answered
The Earl of Caithness to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the deer management strategy; and if so, when.  HL3646
Answered
Baroness Coussins to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for building Mandarin language skills within the workforce to meet the needs of the United Kingdom in (1) security, (2) diplomacy, and (3) trade.  HL3647
Answered
Baroness Coussins to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme after its current funding expires in August 2025.  HL3648
Answered
Baroness Coussins to ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education will consult the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the security services before it makes a decision on the funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025.  HL3649
Answered
Lord Empey to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote import substitution to assist with the balance of payment deficit.  HL3650
Answered
Lord Empey to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the negative impact of charging VAT for renovations of buildings on brownfield sites compared with greenfield sites where building of homes is zero rated for VAT.  HL3651
Answered
Baroness Finn to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 15 November (HL1929), whether the Prime Minister approved the proposal from HD Committee to transfer the responsibility for honours committees’ appointments from the Prime Minister to the Head of the Civil Service; and, what was the policy reason for such a change.  HL3652
Answered
Lord Foster of Bath to ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of UK carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2030 from (1) terrestrial emissions, (2) terrestrial emissions plus international aviation and shipping emissions, and (3) the emissions in both of those categories plus import emissions.  HL3653
Answered
Lord Freyberg to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost impact on small businesses of appointing authorised representatives in the EU or Northern Ireland to comply with the Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988), particularly for those businesses that do not currently have a presence in those markets.  HL3654
Answered
Lord Freyberg to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support small manufacturers in Great Britain in complying with documentation requirements under Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988), and whether they plan to issue guidance on preparing risk assessments.  HL3655
Answered
Lord Freyberg to ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with online marketplaces about their obligations under the Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988), in particular with regard to how these platforms will support small businesses in meeting the requirements for responsible economic operators.  HL3656
Answered
Lord Freyberg to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce any financial support measures to help small businesses meet the compliance costs associated with the Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988), particularly regarding the maintenance of technical documentation for 10 years.  HL3657
Answered
Lord Freyberg to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on small businesses of the requirement under the Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988) to have a responsible economic operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU, and whether they have considered negotiating alternative arrangements for micro-businesses.  HL3658
Answered
Lord Freyberg to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that small businesses are aware of their obligations under the transitional arrangements in Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988), and whether they plan to provide specific guidance for businesses that currently only trade with Northern Ireland.  HL3659
Answered
Lord Gilbert of Panteg to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Twycross on 17 December (HL3302), what records the Crown Commercial Service holds on which public bodies have taken out contracts for translation services using the framework agreement on translation into foreign languages.  HL3660
Answered
Lord Gilbert of Panteg to ask His Majesty's Government, further to (1) the Written Statement by the former Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 12 March 2013 (HC 5WS-6WS), and (2) the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 17 December (HL3302), whether they have made an assessment of the cost of translation to the public purse.  HL3661
Answered
Lord Gilbert of Panteg to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Twycross on (1) 3 December (HL2738), and (2) 17 December (HL3301), why the Written Answer of 3 December stated that no guidance on translation had been issued by the Cabinet Office but the Written Answer of 17 December stated the Guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and ImpartialiItem text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Gilbert of Panteg to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the effect of public bodies’ translation into foreign languages on integration and community cohesion.  HL3663
Answered
Lord Gilbert of Panteg to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 17 December (HL3301), what steps the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is taking to discourage local authorities from translating into foreign languages, in line with the Guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants,… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Godson to ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the savings of one disabled person being in full time work, rather than out of work and fully reliant on benefits.  HL3665
Answered
Lord Godson to ask His Majesty's Government how many people were in receipt of an Access to Work grant by small, medium, or large business in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24.  HL3666
Answered
Lord Godson to ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people were employed by small, medium, or large businesses in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24.  HL3667
Answered
Lord Godson to ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people were in receipt of an Access to Work grant in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24, and by sector.  HL3668
Answered
Lord Godson to ask His Majesty's Government how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments were carried out (1) face-to-face, (2) remotely and (3) on paper in each month since March 2020.  HL3669
Answered
Lord Jackson of Peterborough to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conversion practices guidance issued by the state of Victoria in Australia on how to pray, in the context of their proposals to publish a Conversion Practices Bill in due course.  HL3670
Answered
Lord Jackson of Peterborough to ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings they have held with members of the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition.  HL3671
Answered
Lord Jackson of Peterborough to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the research that they commissioned into conversion therapy undertaken by Coventry University.  HL3672
Answered
Lord Jackson of Peterborough to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of their proposed Conversion Practices Bill.  HL3673
Answered
Lord Kamall to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the cut in the winter fuel payment on hospital admissions this winter.  HL3674
Answered
Lord Kamall to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of patient safety monitoring this winter.  HL3675
Answered
Lord Kamall to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rise in employer National Insurance contributions on the ability of GP surgeries to prepare for winter pressures.  HL3676
Answered
Lord Kamall to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there are enough hospital beds and ambulances for this winter; and what steps are they taking to increase them.  HL3677
Answered
Lord Kamall to ask His Majesty's Government how many people as of 1 December who were medically fit to be discharged from hospital had not been.  HL3678
Answered
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure brownfield land as well as empty, derelict houses and commercial buildings are used first to solve the housing crisis and protect the green belt.  HL3679
Answered
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the services of hospices and private care homes in the light of the increase in National Insurance contributions and other increased costs in the Budget.  HL3680
Answered
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there will be no cuts to the other parts of the health budget to pay for assisted dying if it is legalised in the UK.  HL3681
Answered
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask His Majesty's Government how many people they estimate are homeless each night in each region of the United Kingdom, and whether that number is increasing or decreasing.  HL3682
Answered
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to revive business confidence across the United Kingdom after the budget.  HL3683
Answered
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown to ask His Majesty's Government whether the Chancellor of Exchequer has made representations to the European Union to remove trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland during her recent visit to Brussels.  HL3684
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to regulate the operation of privately owned e-scooters in public spaces, and (2) to introduce mandatory insurance for them.  HL3685
Answered
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to put road traffic offences for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters on an equivalent basis to other vehicles.  HL3686
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask His Majesty's Government which of the Premier League of English Football League Clubs were consulted on the proposal to include parachute payments in the Football Governance Bill and on which dates those meetings took place.  HL3687
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Twycross on 18 December (HL Deb col 370), whether it is their intention to seek assurances from UEFA that the introduction of backstop powers to the proposed Football Regulator does not impact on the autonomy and independence of football’s governance as required by UEFA.  HL3688
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place copies of all correspondence with UEFA, FIFA and the International Olympic Committee regarding the proposal to introduce a Football Regulator in the Library of the House.  HL3689
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list all the appointments made to date to the Shadow Football Regulator, setting out how many were previously employed in the DCMS during the last five years as employees, advisers, or appointees to DCMS-appointed Sports Advisory Groups, and where the Shadow Football Regulator’s office is based.  HL3690
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask His Majesty's Government what is the meaning is of “exercises a higher degree of influence or control over” club, as set out as part of the proposed Owners’ and Directors’ test in Clause 3(2)(b) of the Football Governance Bill.  HL3691
Answered
Lord Moynihan to ask His Majesty's Government whether, following Committee Stage of the Football Governance Bill, they intend to continue with plans to provide the Secretary of State with legislative powers to define the beginning and end dates of the season for football competitions.  HL3692
Answered
Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for monitoring mosques and madrassas.  HL3693
Answered
Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for prohibiting the religious solemnisation of unregistered marriages to ensure that Muslim wives have the protection of divorce law.  HL3694
Answered
Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for banning the wearing of a burka in public.  HL3695
Answered
Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the population was Muslim at the time of the last census, and what is their projection for the next 10 years.  HL3696
Answered
Baroness Pidgeon to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for future years to ensure train operators provide services on Boxing Day.  HL3697
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of banning unincorporated associations from donating to political parties in order to increase the level of transparency concerning their funding.  HL3698
Answered
Lord Rennard to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to use their powers under section 109 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 to require donors to political parties to certify the original sources of donated funds, and whether they consider that this may help to address concerns about potential foreign funding influencing elections in the UK.  HL3699
Answered
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ruling by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal on 17 December into the actions of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Metropolitan Police regarding the investigation of journalists in Northern Ireland.  HL3700
Answered
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick to ask His Majesty's Government, following the ruling by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal on 17 December, what assessment they have made of the current levels of surveillance by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Metropolitan Police into journalists, politicians and others in Northern Ireland.  HL3701
Answered
Baroness Thomas of Winchester to ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 17 December (HL3216), whether they will consult with interested parties and expedite the implementation of the remaining parts of section 36 and associated Schedules of the Equality Act 2010 to address the shortage of housing for disabled people.  HL370… Item text truncated - open link to view full item text
Answered
Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help local authorities and schools regularly to monitor and support the attendance of young carers.  HL3703
Answered
Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to higher education and employment opportunities for young carers.  HL3704
Answered
Lord Wigley to ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the lowering of the threshold for employers' national insurance payments in the Autumn budget on the provision of daily school transport for children with special educational needs, and whether they will make an exception to ensure the continuation of those services.  HL3705
Answered
Lord Wigley to ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the £10,000 tax free bursary available to trainee art and design teachers, so that it is also available to trainee music teachers.  HL3706
Answered
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