House of Lords Written Answers and Statements

Transcription

Wednesday
10 June 2015
Vol. 763
No. 8
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
(HANSARD)
HOUSE OF LORDS
WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND
WRITTEN ANSWERS
Written Statements .................................................1
Written Answers .....................................................3
[I] indicates that the member concerned has a relevant registered interest. The full register of interests can be found at
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review.
Ministers and others who make Statements or answer Questions are referred to only by name, not their ministerial or
other title. The current list of ministerial and other responsibilities is as follows.
Minister
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
Earl Howe
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Baroness Altmann
Lord Ashton of Hyde
Lord Bates
Lord Bridges of Headley
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
Earl of Courtown
Lord Dunlop
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Lord Faulks
Lord Freud
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Lord Keen of Elie
Lord Maude of Horsham
Lord Nash
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Lord Prior of Brampton
Baroness Shields
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
Baroness Verma
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Viscount Younger of Leckie
Responsibilities
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office and Department for
Transport
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
Whip
Minister of State, Home Office
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate
Change, Wales Office and Whip
Whip
Whip
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scotland Office
Whip
Minister of State, Ministry of Justice
Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
Deputy Chief Whip and Spokesman for Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs
Advocate-General for Scotland
Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills and Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Commercial Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture Media and
Sport
Chief Whip
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International
Development
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local
Government
Whip
© Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2015
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which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/
Written Statements
10 June 2015
Written Statements
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Agriculture and Fisheries Council
[HLWS18]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: My Right Hon Friend the
Secretary of State (Elizabeth Truss) has today made the
following statement.
The next Agriculture and Fisheries Council will be on
16 June in Luxembourg. My hon. friend, the Minister of
State for Department of Environment Food and Rural
Affairs (George Eustice), will represent the UK. We are
expecting Dr Aileen McLeod MSP and Rebecca Evans
AM to attend.
As the provisional agenda stands, the following items
will be discussed.
On agriculture, the Presidency will aim to secure a
general approach on the proposal for a Regulation on
organic production and labelling of organic products. This
will be followed by a presentation from the Commission
and an exchange of views from Member States
concerning a consultation on fishing opportunities for
2016.
There are currently three confirmed Any Other
Business items:
- Proposal for a regulation on Animal Health;
- Outcome of a meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture
of the Visegrad group extended to Bulgaria, Romania and
Slovenia (18-19 May); and
- Extension of the eligibility period of expenditure for
the Operational Programme Fisheries 2007-2013.
There are also four possible Any Other Business items:
- Proposal for a Regulation, amending the GM food and
feed regulation, that would allow Member States to
restrict or prohibit the use of genetically modified food
and feed on their territory;
- Communication from the Commission reviewing the
decision-making process on genetically modified
organisms (GMOs);
- The two recent reports from the Commission on
mandatory country of origin labelling; and
- International Year of Plant Health 2020.
Legal Aid
[HLWS19]
Lord Faulks: My honourable friend the Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Minister for Courts
and Legal Aid (Shailesh Vara) has made the following
Written Statement.
"I am today confirming next steps for the criminal legal
aid market.
Maintaining access to justice and upholding the
principle that those accused of a crime have the right to
Page 1
representation in their defence is vitally important. We
recognise and value the reputation our legal profession
enjoys internationally. We must preserve that reputation
while enhancing the quality of advocacy in our courts.
We cannot escape the fact, however that there is a
pressing need to ensure our criminal justice system
performs more efficiently. Last year we spent £1.7 billion
on legal aid. Although that is down from the 2009-10
peak, it is still far higher than many other developed
economies. As a proportion of GDP, we spend more on
legal aid than any other EU nation outside the UK. And
per capita, we spend more on legal aid than most other
Common Law jurisdictions – double the amount spent in
Australia, Canada and the Republic of Ireland.
Of course no two legal systems are identical, but there
is no doubt we still have a generous system compared to
other countries. The continuing need to reduce the deficit
means that we must make further progress. We must
secure greater efficiencies whilst maintaining a high
quality service and guaranteeing that everyone accused of
a crime has the same access to a legal aid lawyer as they
do now.
The Coalition Government announced a series of
changes to secure savings in criminal legal aid, including:
• Reducing litigators’ fees by 17.5%, with last year’s
initial reduction of 8.75% followed by a further
reduction of 8.75% this year.
• Proceeding to introduce 527 new duty provider
contracts, the tender for which was put out prior to the
election.
• Reducing advocacy fees by £10 million per year.
In considering the programme set in train by the
previous Government for the criminal legal aid market,
we have listened very carefully to the concerns of the
profession. We share the view that we must protect the
quality of the service provided by litigators and that we
must make sure that this high quality service remains
sustainable in all parts of England and Wales. We
recognise that changes in the litigation market have the
potential to affect the provision of advocacy, and agree
that high quality advocacy also must be preserved and
enhanced. We will be taking steps to work with the
profession to explore measures to achieve this.
Having considered the findings of Sir Brian Leveson’s
report into the efficiency of the criminal courts, the
impact of broader criminal justice reforms, and the impact
of changes already introduced, we have decided to press
ahead with the second 8.75% reduction to litigators’ fees
announced by the Coalition government.
Before reaching this conclusion, we examined changes
to our forecast legal aid expenditure, changes to the
existing market, provider withdrawal rates and reasons,
contract extension acceptance and early information from
the duty provider contract tender. This reassured us that
legal aid reforms so far have not had any substantial
negative impact on the sustainability of the service.
Page 2
10 June 2015
The statutory instrument implementing this reduction
will be laid today, and the change will come into force on
1 July.
We will also proceed with the new duty provider
contracts, the tender for which is already well underway.
The Legal Aid Agency is currently assessing bids and is
on track to announce decisions in the Autumn. As
intended by the Coalition Government, these changes will
help mitigate the impact of the cut to litigators’ fees.
Organisations that are awarded duty provider contracts
will have exclusive access to duty contract work and will
benefit from economies of scale. Together, these changes
will ensure there is a sustainable duty solicitor service
across England and Wales.
We are particularly keen to ensure we retain a vibrant
independent Bar and protect the high standard of
advocacy which is a hallmark of our justice system.
Having listened carefully to the case put by the
profession, we have decided not to reduce advocacy fees
at this stage. Instead we want to work closely with the
Written Statements
profession in order to explore alternative ways of securing
savings through greater efficiencies in criminal
proceedings. That will include implementing the findings
of Sir Brian Leveson’s report, which contained wideranging recommendations to deliver more efficient
criminal courts.
Taken together, these changes must be closely
monitored in order to ensure we preserve access to justice
and high quality advocacy. We will therefore establish a
review to assess the impact of the litigators’ fee reduction
and the dual contracting model on access to justice and
the quality of litigation and advocacy provision. This
review will be undertaken by an individual independent of
Government, and will commence in July 2016.
Although the transition will be challenging, the changes
we are pressing ahead with today are designed to ensure
that we have a system of criminal legal aid that delivers
value for money to taxpayers, that provides high quality
legal advice to those that need it most, and that puts the
profession on a sustainable footing for the long term."
Written Answers
10 June 2015
Written Answers
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Agriculture: Subsidies
Asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Basic
Payment Scheme was not rolled out online as originally
announced: what was the additional cost to the taxpayer
of returning to paper-based British Payment Scheme
applications; what assessment they have made of the
reasons for the failure of the online roll-out; and in the
light of the date for final submissions of completed
Basic Payment Scheme forms being extended from 15
May to 15 June, whether there will be any delay in
making payments to farmers by the end of 2015. [HL84]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: While the core of the new
online Rural Payments system is working well, there have
been performance problems around the interface between
the customer portal and the back end of the system. That
one area was not consistently stable and it was having a
negative effect on the rest of the service.
As a result, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA)
switched the approach to delivery of the Basic Payment
Scheme in 2015 to one where farmers and their agents use
existing forms to complete their claims by the extended
deadline.
Over the longer term we will continue to work on a
user-friendly web interface - but for this claim year the
priority is making sure farm businesses get the help and
support they need to get their claims in on time.
We are currently assessing the additional costs from the
revised approach.
The RPA will be making full payments as early as
possible in the payments window, which opens in
December.
Asylum: Finance
Asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with regard to the
number of days elapsing between the end of financial
support from the UK Border Agency for asylum
seekers, and the first receipt of other forms of state
financial support from the Department for Work and
Pensions, across all cases between 1 January and 31
December 2014, how many cases there were in which
the number of days was greater than zero; and what
were the figures for (1) the minimum and maximum,
(2) the mean and median, (3) the first and third, and (4)
the fifth and 95th percentiles. [HL1]
Lord Bates: We do not hold information or record data
on asylum claimants who have ceased to receive support
from the Home Office and gone on to other housing
support. The UK Border Agency was abolished in March
2013 and the agency was split into two new organisations:
Page 3
UK Visas and
Enforcement.
Immigration
and
Immigration
Asylum: Housing
Asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with regard to the
number of days elapsing between the end of housing
support from the UK Border Agency, or their
contractors, for asylum seekers, and the first receipt of
other forms of state housing support from the
Department for Work and Pensions, across all cases
between 1 January and 31 December 2014, how many
cases there were in which the number of days was
greater than zero; and what were the figures for (1) the
minimum and maximum, (2) the mean and median, (3)
the first and third, and (4) the fifth and 95th percentiles.
[HL2]
Lord Bates: We are unable to provide the information
requested by the Rt Honourable Lady as we do not hold
information or record data on asylum claimants who have
ceased to receive support from the Home Office and gone
on to other housing support. The UK Border Agency was
abolished in March 2013 and the agency was split into
two new organisations: UK Visas and Immigration and
Immigration Enforcement.
Belize: HIV Infection
Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the possible link between the spread
of HIV/AIDS in Belize and the criminalisation of
homosexuality in that country. [HL199]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Our focus in Belize has
been on working to uphold the rights and freedoms of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in
all circumstances. More generally, we believe that access
to treatment for human immunodeficiency virus infection
and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS)
should be without discrimination, and that discriminatory
laws that impede access to treatment should be addressed.
This is true in Belize as elsewhere.
Belize: Homosexuality
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions
they have had with the government of Belize about the
treatment of homosexual men and women in that
country. [HL198]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly raise the
treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
intersex (LGBTI) people with the Government of Belize.
On 4 February 2015, our High Commissioner in
Belmopan met with the Belizean Foreign Minister, the
Honourable Wilfred Elrington, to discuss human rights
and the treatment of homosexual men and women. The
Page 4
10 June 2015
UK also raised LGBTI rights at Belize’s last Universal
Periodic Review at the UN in 2013.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when a
government minister last visited Belize, and whether
they discussed the treatment of homosexuals with
representatives of the government of Belize during that
visit. [HL200]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Minister of State
for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon.
Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited
Belize in November 2012; and the former Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State and Minister for International
Security Strategy at the Ministry of Defence, my hon.
Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr
Murrison), visited Belize in March 2013. Our High
Commissioner in Belmopan regularly raises human rights
and the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and intersex people with representatives of the Belizean
government.
Burma: Refugees
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they
have taken to encourage the reversal of rations cuts for
refugees from Burma in camps on the border between
Thailand and Burma; and what is their current estimate
of the number of men, women and children in those
camps. [HL125]
Baroness Verma: The Department for International
Development engages regularly with other OECD donors
on assistance to the refugees from Burma in camps on the
border between Thailand and Burma, and convened a
donor conference with The Border Consortium (TBC) in
April 2015, partly with the aim of encouraging other
donors to maintain appropriate support to TBC. DFID
approved a renewed project for conflict affected people
from October 2012 to November 2015, totalling over
£27million. This project includes our support to the
refugees for food, shelter and other relief items. In March
2015 DFID agreed a £6.67m additional cost extension for
the project to January 2017.
Children's Centres
Asked by Lord Greaves
are taking to prevent any further closures of Sure Start
Children’s Centres. [HL275]
Lord Nash: It is up to local authorities to decide how to
organise and commission services from children’s centres
in their areas. They are best placed to understand local
needs and the different ways they can be supported
locally. Local authorities must demonstrate that they have
devised ways to ensure that services continue; what
Written Answers
matters is the quality and impact of services, and how
local needs are being supported.
We are clear in statutory guidance that there is a
presumption against closure, and local authorities have a
duty to consult where changes are planned to local
children’s centre provision.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role Sure
Start Children’s Centres will play in the implementation
of their policy to double free childcare for working
parents of three and four year-olds. [HL276]
Lord Nash: We expect to consult on the extended
entitlement for three- and four-year-old children of
working parents; and we will consider the role that Sure
Start Children’s Centres might play. Further details will
be announced in due course.
Climate Change
Asked by Lord Hylton
are taking to increase the exports and overseas licensing
of technology designed to reduce the impact of climate
change. [HL134]
Lord Maude of Horsham: The Government actively
supports British companies to export products and
services that reduce the impact of climate change. For
example, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) helps UK
companies to win export business in the offshore wind,
other renewables and nuclear sectors. This approach is
consistent with the Government’s overall climate change
policy.
Criminal Proceedings: Fees and Charges
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why fees in
criminal proceedings are, on average, higher when a
defendant pleads not guilty. [HL24]
Lord Faulks: Section 54 of the Criminal Justice and
Courts Act 2015 specifies the level of criminal courts
charges and requires that they do not exceed the costs
reasonably attributable to a case of its class. In
determining charge levels, the Coalition Government
considered the time and resource spent on particular types
of proceedings, as well as fixed overhead costs. The
charge levels for not-guilty plea proceedings have been
set below cost.
The Government keeps charge levels under review.
Criminal Proceedings: Legal Costs
Asked by Lord Beecham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of
defendants in criminal cases who were required to pay
some or all of their own legal costs and who have been
Written Answers
10 June 2015
acquitted, or whose charges have been withdrawn, have
in the last twelve months (1) had their full legal costs
reimbursed, or (2) have been reimbursed their costs at
the equivalent of legal aid rates. [HL4]
Lord Faulks: Defendants who have been granted legal
aid, but had to make a contribution to their legal aid costs,
and are then acquitted or whose charges have been
withdrawn, are likely to have all contributions
reimbursed, though the trial court does have discretion to
decide otherwise in appropriate circumstances.
Defendants in the Magistrates’ Court who have not
been granted legal aid, and defendants in the Crown Court
who have applied and had their application refused on
financial grounds, who are then acquitted or whose
charges have been withdrawn, can obtain a defendants
costs order and have their costs determined under sections
16 and 16A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and
Part III of the Costs in Criminal Cases (General)
Regulations 1986.
As was the case under the previous administration, the
Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not record the number of
people whose legal costs are reimbursed.
Defence: Expenditure
Asked by Lord West of Spithead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether spending
on current operations is included in the calculation of
the percentage of gross domestic product spent on
defence; and if so, when it was first included in that
calculation. [HL212]
Earl Howe: Spending on operations is included in the
calculation of the percentage of gross domestic product
spent on defence and has been included in our Defence
Spending submissions to NATO since at least 2009.
Derelict Land
will take to provide the necessary funding to ensure that
brownfield land released by government departments
for housing purposes can be developed in locations
where its development would not otherwise be viable.
[HL277]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Government intends
to create a £1 billion fund to unlock homes on brownfield
land for additional housing, and ensure that brownfield
land is used as much as possible for new development.
We are clear that brownfield land that is suitable for
housing has a vital role to play in meeting the need for
new homes, and ensuring that the Green Belt is protected.
The Government is committed to releasing surplus public
sector land with capacity for up to 150,000 homes by
2020.
Page 5
Detainees: Death
Asked by Lord Ouseley
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they
have to ensure that the families of individuals who have
died in custody or detention have access to justice.
[HL139]
Lord Faulks: There must be a coroners’ inquest into
any death in state detention, including deaths from natural
causes. The inquest must be held with a jury where the
death is not from natural causes. The inquest must
ascertain how, when and where the person died.
In addition, all deaths in custody are subject to a police
investigation and an investigation by the Prisons and
Probation Ombudsman. Once the inquest has been
concluded, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s
office publishes a detailed ‘Fatal Incident Report’ on the
death which includes recommendations to prevent further
deaths.
Development Plans
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many
Neighbourhood Development Plans have been subject
to community referendums, and of these, how many
were approved, what locations they cover, and which
were instigated by (1) parish councils and (2)
neighbourhood forums. [HL38]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many full
draft Neighbourhood Development Plans have reached
the consultation stage, and what locations those plans
cover. [HL39]
communities have taken the first formal steps towards
the creation of a Neighbourhood Development Plan but
have not yet reached the consultation stage, and what
locations those plans cover. [HL40]
Neighbourhood Development Orders have been
approved, what locations those plans cover, and what
are the purposes of each. [HL41]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether parish
councils can make a Neighbourhood Development Plan
jointly for all or part of their areas, and if so, under
what provision. [HL42]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Whilst information is
not collected centrally, our informal monitoring tells us
that as of the end of May 2015:
Page 6
10 June 2015
• referendums have been held on the making of 67
neighbourhood plans. In each case the majority of those
who voted were in favour of the neighbourhood plan
being made (on average 89% of those voting voted in
favour). 62 of the neighbourhood plans were instigated
by a parish council and five by designated
neighbourhood forums.
• in total, 274 communities have carried out, or are
currently carrying out, pre-submission consultation and
publicity on a neighbourhood plan proposal.
• 1,221 communities across England have applied for a
neighbourhood area to be designated (the first formal
step in the process) but have not yet undertaken presubmission consultation and publicity on a
neighbourhood plan proposal.
•
one
Neighbourhood
Development
Order
(Cockermouth) and three Community Right to Build
Orders (Ferring) have been made (brought into force).
A Neighbourhood Development Order grants planning
permission for specific development or a class of
development in a specified neighbourhood area (a
community right to build order is a type of
neighbourhood development order).
A local planning authority must publish a map setting
out the areas that are for the time being designated as
neighbourhood areas. Details of the locations of
neighbourhood planning across England, by local
authority, can be found in the attached list. An interactive
map with details of the referendums can be found at:
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/64709276783869952
0
A single parish council (as a relevant body) can apply
for a multi-parished neighbourhood area to be designated
as long as that multi-parished area includes all or part of
that parish council’s administrative area. When the parish
council begins to develop a neighbourhood plan or an
Order (as a qualifying body) it needs to secure the consent
of the other parish councils to undertake neighbourhood
planning activities. The relevant provision is set out in
section 61F of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
as applied to neighbourhood plans by section 38C of the
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
The Answer includes the following attached material:
150610 Neighbourhood planing locations in England [150610
Lord Greaves HL39 -HL42 1081662-1081666 -locations of
NP.docx]
The material can be viewed online at:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questionsanswers-statements/written-question/Lords/2015-05-27/HL38
Elections: Wales
Asked by Lord Wigley
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions
they have had with the leaders of the political parties in
Wales regarding the implications of holding the
referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of
Written Answers
the European Union on the same day as the elections to
the National Assembly for Wales. [HL195]
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Rt hon Friend the
Secretary of State for Wales has regular discussions with
the First Minister and leaders of the other main parties in
Wales on a wide range of issues relating to Wales. The
Prime Minister has been clear that we will hold an in-out
referendum by the end of 2017 and the EU Referendum
Bill is consistent with this.
Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and
Charges
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
they have made of the effect of the increase in
employment tribunal fees on the number of claims
brought. [HL23]
Lord Faulks: Following a public consultation, fees
were introduced in Employment Tribunals to reduce the
burden on the taxpayer of paying for Employment
Tribunals and to encourage parties to seek alternative
ways of resolving their disputes.
The Government is anxious to divert people away from
potentially acrimonious hearings where possible through a
new early conciliation scheme which has already been
used by over 60,000 people in its first nine months. There
are fee waivers available for those who can not afford to
pay
The Government is currently considering the options
for a review of Employment Tribunal fees. A further
announcement will be made soon.
Forced Marriage
Asked by Baroness Cox
are taking to ensure that girls are not taken abroad for
the purposes of forced marriage. [HL169]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are
in place to ensure that girls at risk of being taken abroad
for the purpose of forced marriage are identified and
assessed by professionals. [HL170]
Lord Bates: The UK is a world leader in tackling
forced marriage, and the Government is committed to
ensuring that girls are not taken abroad for the purposes of
forced marriage. That is why, during the previous
Parliament, the Home Secretary made forced marriage a
criminal offence, which included taking extra-territorial
jurisdiction for forced marriage offences.
We recognise that strengthening the law is only part of
the solution. The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit is
leading efforts to combat this unacceptable activity both
at home and abroad. Measures include providing support
and advice to professionals and victims through a public
Written Answers
10 June 2015
Page 7
helpline, with the Unit assisting in 1,267 cases in 2014.
We are providing further direct support to professionals,
including schools and the Crown Prosecution Service,
through an extensive outreach and training programme
and the publication of statutory multi-agency guidance in
July 2014.
the importance of building healthy relationships, as well
as giving young people the confidence and knowledge
about staying safe and respecting others. It also supports
the government’s ‘This is Abuse’ campaign, which helps
educate young people about damaging behaviours within
relationships.
Forced Marriage and Honour Based
Violence: Education
G4S: Government Contracts
are taking to encourage schools to raise awareness of
the risk of forced marriage and honour-based abuse, and
of the availability of preventive measures. [HL168]
Lord Nash: The government is committed to tackling
violence against women and girls (VAWG). We are
helping to end violence at home and abroad by allowing
women to check their partner’s criminal history,
introducing domestic violence protection orders,
criminalising forced marriage and introducing a new
offence of domestic abuse. We will strengthen victims’
rights further, with a new Victims’ Law that will enshrine
key rights for victims. The previous government ringfenced £40 million to VAWG services - £10 million per
year, specifically for refuges. The government has
committed to continuing that funding up to April 2016.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory
guidance, issued by the Department for Education,
outlines to schools and colleges their roles and
responsibilities with regard to safeguarding their pupils.
The department makes it clear that schools and colleges
play a significant role in early identification of abuse and
preventing concerns from escalating.
KCSIE signposts school staff to specific forced
marriage information and guidelines produced by the
Forced Marriage Unit (FMU). This information provides
an overview of forced marriage, together with FMU
contact details for further information and advice.
KCSIE also signposts schools to further information on
faith abuse: the ‘National action plan to tackle child abuse
linked to faith or belief’. This action plan serves to help
raise awareness of the issue of child abuse linked to faith
or belief, including honour based violence and forced
marriage. The action plan encourages practical steps to be
taken to prevent such abuse.
KCSIE recognises that forced marriage and honour
based violence are safeguarding concerns. The guidance
makes clear that any concerns identified by staff should
be raised and discussed with the school’s designated
safeguarding lead and escalated to children’s social care
as appropriate.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE)
education, and Sex and Relationships Education (SRE)
are curriculum subjects that may be used to raise pupil
awareness of forced marriage and honour-based abuse. To
support teaching in these areas, the PSHE Association has
produced guidance for teaching about consent, covering
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the
February 2015 Ofsted Report on Rainsbrook Secure
Training Centre and the dismissal of six of its staff for
misconduct, what steps they are taking to review the
performance of G4S in providing custodial services,
and whether G4S will be allowed to tender for new or
renewed contracts. [HL7]
Lord Faulks: The safety and welfare of young people
in custody is vital and the Ministry of Justice takes the
issues raised in the recent Rainsbrook inspection report
extremely seriously. We have taken immediate action to
make sure these are being addressed by the operator. The
leadership at Rainsbrook has been replaced and the Youth
Justice Board are closely monitoring the implementation
of an action plan
A further unannounced inspection will take place in the
Autumn. If G4S fail to resolve the issues raised, further
contractual remedies are available, including contract
termination
Contracts for the Medway and Rainsbrook Secure
Training Centres are currently being retendered. It would
be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
Government Departments: Muslims
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether
employment in government departments has been given
to Muslims with links to Islamic extremist groups.
[HL57]
Lord Bridges of Headley: All Civil Servants are
subject to recruitment checks (including of unspent
criminal records) and the provisions of the Civil Service
Code.
Line managers report concerns about staff,
including for example, expressions of support for
extremist views, actions or incidents.
Civil Servants in sensitive roles are subject to national
security vetting. Information is checked against records
held by the Security Service and the police.
Graduates: Visas
Asked by The Earl of Kinnoull
Graduate Entrepreneur visas were granted in each of the
last two years; and what are those results broken down
by the higher education institutions sponsoring the
visas. [HL155]
Page 8
10 June 2015
Lord Bates: The information in the table below relates
to all Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visas granted.
Year
Entry Clearance
Applications
In Country
Applications
2013
13
215
2014
175
385
2015
44
160
To obtain the breakdown of the Higher Education
Institutions sponsoring the visas would incur
disproportionate cost.
Immigrants: Children
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan
to reimburse local authorities for the costs falling to
them in caring for children from families with no
recourse to public funds as they attempt to regulate their
immigration status, in the light of the report by the
Centre on Migration, Policy and Society Safeguarding
Children From Destitution ; and if not, why not.
[HL237]
Lord Bates: We work closely with local authorities to
ensure that immigration decisions in cases receiving local
authority support are made as quickly as possible. The No
Recourse to Public Funds Connect database provides an
expedited route into the Home Office for local authorities
on individual cases, so that these can be dealt with as
quickly as possible. Where migrants granted leave to
remain on family grounds show that they are destitute or
that there are exceptional circumstances, they are given
recourse to public funds.
Kuwait: Nationality
Asked by Lord Avebury
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have
yet received confirmation that the amendment
submitted to the Kuwait National Assembly allowing
Kuwaiti women to sponsor their husbands and children
to acquire Kuwaiti nationality provided they have been
married for 10 years has been ratified. [HL129]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have had no
confirmation that the Kuwaiti Parliament has approved
any change to the Nationality Law which would confer
upon women the right to pass nationality to their children.
Our Ambassador and other senior officials frequently
raise the issue of nationality and equal rights with the
relevant Kuwaiti authorities, and the UK noted concerns
about gender equality during Kuwait’s Universal Periodic
Review at the UN Human Rights Council in January.
Loans: Republic of Ireland
Asked by Lord Laird
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much is
outstanding of the loans provided to the government of
Written Answers
the Republic of Ireland following the financial crisis of
2007 to 2008; and what are the arrangements and dates
for repayment. [HL29]
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: I refer the noble Lord to the
most recent statutory report which the Treasury provided
to Parliament as required by Section 2 of the Loans to
Ireland Act 2010. The last report was published on the 13
October 2014 and is available online along with all
previous reports submitted [1] .
This report shows the outstanding loan principle is
£3,226,960,000, with repayments due in tranches from 15
April 2019, until the 26 March 2021.
Ireland continues to make interest payments. Since the
publication of this report, the UK has received a further
interest payment from Ireland, on the 15 December 2014,
of £41,998,674.42.
The next report, covering the reporting period which
finished on the 31 March 2015, will be provided as soon
as reasonably possible.
[1]
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bilateralloan-to-ireland
Report on Ireland Loans
[loans_to_ireland_report_to_30_september_2014.pdf]
Muslims
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
they have made of the percentages of the Muslim
populations in (1) Birmingham, (2) Blackburn, (3)
Bradford, (4) Leicester, (5) Luton, (6) Manchester, (7)
Slough and (8) the London Boroughs of (a) Newham
and (b) Tower Hamlets; what was the percentage
growth of those Muslim populations between 2004 and
2014; what percentages are under the age of 15; how
these compare with the non-Muslim populations; and
what were the comparative birthrates between the
Muslim and non-Muslim populations in those areas.
[HL56]
Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested
falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics
Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Tables of Population Figures [HL56 Lord Pearson Population
Tables.xlsx]
UK Statistics Reply [ONS Reply HL56 Lord Pearson.pdf]
Written Answers
10 June 2015
North Korea: Nuclear Weapons
they have made of whether the Six Party Talks on
North Korea will resume, and of the likelihood of
progress on the issue of nuclear weapons controls in the
light of the five previous United Nations Security
Council Resolutions and two Agreed Frameworks.
[HL128]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Minister of State
for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon.
Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), discussed
this with the Assistant Secretary in Washington on 2 June.
An immediate resumption of Six Party Talks appears
unlikely. While the US remain open to the prospect of
resuming dialogue, they have also called for the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to
demonstrate good faith before returning to talks. Thus far,
the DPRK has rejected all proposals for talks on these
terms.
We remain extremely concerned by the DPRK’s
nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and continue to
urge the DPRK to: comply with its obligations under
relevant UN Security Council Resolutions; refrain from
any further provocations; abide by its obligations under
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and permit full
access by the International Atomic Energy Agency. We
urge the rigorous implementation of sanctions by the
international community to limit the DPRK’s ability to
advance its programmes.
Page 9
case and we will continue to discuss with them what
further assistance we can provide. We have raised the
case with the Burmese authorities and made them aware
of our interest in Mr Blackwood’s welfare.
Refugees: Syria
Asked by The Marquess of Lothian
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest
estimate of how many Syrian refugees are displaced
from their homes, both internally and abroad; and how
many have been resettled in the United Kingdom since
the establishment of the Vulnerable Persons Relocation
Scheme for Syrian nationals. [HL109]
Lord Bates: As of 30 March 2015, 187 people were
relocated to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons
Relocation scheme for Syrian nationals. This is the latest
publicly available figure as numbers are released as part
of the Home Office statistics each quarter.
The Department for International Development hold
information on estimates on the number of Syrians
displaced internally and abroad.
Regional Planning and Development: North
of England
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define
"Northern powerhouse", as used in the Gracious
Speech. [HL97]
Passports: Children
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the
written answer by Lord Bates on 2 March (HL5145),
why draft revised guidance on obtaining passports for
donor-conceived children has not yet been circulated;
and when it will be. [HL209]
Lord Bates: Drafting of the guidance will be
completed shortly and consultation with interested parties
will commence at the end of June 2015.
Philip Blackwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance
they are providing Philip Blackwood, who is
imprisoned in Burma. [HL124]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The New Zealand
Embassy in Burma is leading on providing consular
assistance to Mr Blackwood as he travelled to Burma on
his New Zealand passport. They have been in contact with
his family who are resident in New Zealand.
Our Embassy in Rangoon has provided advice and
support to the New Zealand Embassy on Mr Blackwood’s
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define
the North of England, as referred to in the term
"Northern powerhouse" used in the Gracious Speech.
[HL98]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Northern
Powerhouse is a long term plan to enable the north to
reach its potential as a driving force in the UK economy,
closing the gap between north and south. It will reinforce
the links between our northern cities to make them
collectively stronger, providing them with modern
transport connections, supporting science, innovation,
universities and creative clusters and by giving them the
local power and control needed to support growth. The
Government will also empower the towns and counties of
the north to build on the economic strengths outside cities.
Right to Buy Scheme
Asked by Lord Hylton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations
they have had with the voluntary sector about extending
the right-to-buy to housing association tenants; and
what steps they plan to take to respond to any
consultation before bringing forward a new housing
bill. [HL245]
Page 10
10 June 2015
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Ministers and senior
officials are engaging with key stakeholders, as they do
on a continuous basis, in relation to key policy issues.
Social Security Benefits
Asked by Lord Touhig
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Personal
Independence Payments and Employment Support
Allowance will be exempted from the proposed new
benefit cap. [HL269]
Lord Freud: Details of the policy will be announced in
due course.
Asked by Lord Touhig
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan
to introduce flexibility into the benefit cap regime to
take account of family size and regional housing costs.
[HL270]
Lord Freud: Details of the policy will be announced in
due course.
UK Border Force
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assets
Border Force uses at present to maintain surveillance of
United Kingdom territorial seas and adjacent waters;
and what plans they have, if any, to change this in the
Written Answers
light of the deployment of two Border Force cutters in
the Mediterranean. [HL244]
Lord Bates: We do not comment on specific
operational matters for reasons of national security. A
variety of assets ensure the integrity of UK waters, and
we continue to ensure that Border Force is able to make
use of cutting-edge technology and good intelligence in
its important work.
War Pensions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether war
pensions are part of the welfare budget; and if not, in
which departmental budget they lie. [HL210]
Earl Howe: War Pensions sat within the Ministry of
Defence's Annual Managed Expenditure budget since
June 2001, when the War Pensions Agency transferred to
the Ministry of Defence. As announced in the 2014
Budget, the Government will move War Pensions out of
Annual Managed Expenditure for future years.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether war
pensions were included in the calculation of spending
on defence in the years 2011–14. [HL211]
Earl Howe: War Pensions were not included in our
Defence Spending submissions to NATO between 2011
and 2014.
Index to Statements and Answers
Agriculture and Fisheries Council ........................ 1
Regional Planning and Development: North of
England ................................................................ 9
Legal Aid .............................................................. 1
Right to Buy Scheme ........................................... 9
Written Answers ..................................................... 3
Social Security Benefits..................................... 10
Agriculture: Subsidies .......................................... 3
UK Border Force ............................................... 10
Asylum: Finance................................................... 3
War Pensions ..................................................... 10
Written Statements................................................. 1
Asylum: Housing .................................................. 3
Belize: HIV Infection ........................................... 3
Belize: Homosexuality ......................................... 3
Burma: Refugees .................................................. 4
Children's Centres................................................. 4
Climate Change .................................................... 4
Criminal Proceedings: Fees and Charges ............. 4
Criminal Proceedings: Legal Costs ...................... 4
Defence: Expenditure ........................................... 5
Derelict Land ........................................................ 5
Detainees: Death................................................... 5
Development Plans ............................................... 5
Elections: Wales ................................................... 6
Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges
.............................................................................. 6
Forced Marriage ................................................... 6
Forced Marriage and Honour Based Violence:
Education .............................................................. 7
G4S: Government Contracts................................. 7
Government Departments: Muslims ..................... 7
Graduates: Visas ................................................... 7
Immigrants: Children............................................ 8
Kuwait: Nationality .............................................. 8
Loans: Republic of Ireland ................................... 8
Muslims ................................................................ 8
North Korea: Nuclear Weapons ........................... 9
Passports: Children ............................................... 9
Philip Blackwood ................................................. 9
Refugees: Syria..................................................... 9

House of Lords Written Answers and Statements

Transcription

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