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990126

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions: Tax Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pension master trusts operate on a net pay system; and how many master trusts use a relief at source administration system.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL10748
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>The Government does not hold complete data on whether a master trust pension scheme operates net pay or relief at source.</p><p> </p><p>Pension schemes are not required to tell HMRC if they use the net pay arrangement. They do have to register with HMRC to use relief at source.</p><p> </p><p>Pension schemes have only been required to declare whether they are a master trust during tax registration since April 2018. Schemes that were already registered at that date have not been required to inform Her Majesty’s Revenue &amp; Customs that they are a master trust. They are required to inform HMRC if they become or cease to be a master trust.</p><p> </p><p>The tax relief provided under net pay reflects an individual’s marginal rate of tax. Under relief at source, all savers receive a flat rate of 25%, equivalent to the basic rate of tax, regardless of their marginal rate of tax. This means that lower earners in relief at source schemes may receive extra tax relief. Higher and additional rate taxpayers can claim any further relief to which they are entitled from HMRC. This was designed to simplify the administration of personal pensions.</p><p>The government recognises the different impacts of the two systems of paying pension tax relief on pension contributions for workers earning below the personal allowance. To date, it has not been possible to identify any straightforward or proportionate means to align the effects of the net pay and relief at source mechanisms more closely for this population.</p><p> </p><p>However, the government’s ambition for HMRC to become one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world may present opportunities to look afresh at the two systems of paying pension tax relief, to explore the current difference in treatment, and ensure that we can make the most of any new opportunities, balancing simplicity, fairness, and practicality.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL10749 question first answered 31/10/2018 17:17:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

990127

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions: Tax Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that non-taxpayers who are automatically enrolled in a net pay workplace pension scheme can receive the 25 per cent bonus that they would receive in a relief at source scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL10749
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>The Government does not hold complete data on whether a master trust pension scheme operates net pay or relief at source.</p><p> </p><p>Pension schemes are not required to tell HMRC if they use the net pay arrangement. They do have to register with HMRC to use relief at source.</p><p> </p><p>Pension schemes have only been required to declare whether they are a master trust during tax registration since April 2018. Schemes that were already registered at that date have not been required to inform Her Majesty’s Revenue &amp; Customs that they are a master trust. They are required to inform HMRC if they become or cease to be a master trust.</p><p> </p><p>The tax relief provided under net pay reflects an individual’s marginal rate of tax. Under relief at source, all savers receive a flat rate of 25%, equivalent to the basic rate of tax, regardless of their marginal rate of tax. This means that lower earners in relief at source schemes may receive extra tax relief. Higher and additional rate taxpayers can claim any further relief to which they are entitled from HMRC. This was designed to simplify the administration of personal pensions.</p><p>The government recognises the different impacts of the two systems of paying pension tax relief on pension contributions for workers earning below the personal allowance. To date, it has not been possible to identify any straightforward or proportionate means to align the effects of the net pay and relief at source mechanisms more closely for this population.</p><p> </p><p>However, the government’s ambition for HMRC to become one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world may present opportunities to look afresh at the two systems of paying pension tax relief, to explore the current difference in treatment, and ensure that we can make the most of any new opportunities, balancing simplicity, fairness, and practicality.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL10748 question first answered 31/10/2018 17:17:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

990128

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions: Tax Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the (1) number, and (2) gender breakdown, of workers earning below the personal tax threshold who have been automatically enrolled into a net pay workplace pension scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL10750
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>Automatic enrolment has reversed the decline in workplace pension saving. Latest figures show that more than 9.9 million people have been automatically enrolled; with participation amongst eligible women in the private sector increasing, from 40 per cent in 2012 to 80 per cent in 2017, to equal the rate for men. By 2019/20 an extra £20 billion a year is estimated to go into workplace pensions as a result of these reforms.</p><p> </p><p>Automatic enrolment requires the sponsoring employer to put in place a qualifying workplace pension scheme for their affected workers. The Pensions Regulator provides guidance to employers on choosing a pension scheme for their staff in order to discharge their statutory obligations under automatic enrolment. This guidance covers the choice between net pay and relief at source schemes, and the implications of net pay schemes for employees who do not pay tax.</p><p> </p><p>Government does not collect data about whether net pay arrangements or relief at source pension schemes are used by employers to comply with their automatic enrolment duties.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/10/2018 16:30:26 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

990129

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to check the accuracy of contributions being paid into pension schemes under automatic enrolment.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL10751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.9 million employees enrolled and more than 1.3 million employers having met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment.</p><p> </p><p>Qualifying pension schemes for automatic enrolment are subject to the same regulatory framework as all trust-based workplace pension schemes, also overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions; provide information to help members check their contributions; and report material payment failures to the Regulator.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/10/2018 17:03:56 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

990130

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that a proper audit of the accuracy of a master trust's pension contribution records has taken place before it is permitted to exit the market or merge with another trust.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL10752
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>Trustees are required to act in accordance with their fiduciary duties to the beneficiaries of the scheme, as well as legislative requirements. This includes running and managing the scheme, and ensuring the accuracy of the scheme’s contribution records.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Schemes Act 2017 introduced a requirement for Master Trust schemes to notify the Pensions Regulator if they intend to exit the market prior to the introduction of the new authorisation and supervisory regime from October 2018 and for the Regulator to have close oversight of the process.</p><p> </p><p>The new authorisation and supervisory regime for Master Trusts requires that Master Trusts demonstrate to the Pensions Regulator that they have effective systems and processes. This includes whether the scheme can process transactions, including contributions, automatically and securely and whether it has the capability to carry out data reconciliations against transactions.</p><p> </p><p>Master Trusts must be able to quickly identify missing contributions and have a process in place to rectify any issues. The Regulator has a separate Code of Practice on the payment of contributions and can take action where contributions are not invested.</p><p> </p><p>Where a Master Trust exits the market the trustees must submit a detailed implementation strategy to the Regulator for approval. This includes details of how scheme pension contributions will be handled. Trustees are required to comply with the implementation strategy to the satisfaction of the Regulator.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/10/2018 15:13:30 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

990131

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Capital Punishment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 October (HL9860 and HL9890) and the Minister of State for the Home Office on 10 October (167956), whether either of the two individuals cited were transferred to the Guantanamo Bay prison facility.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL10753
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s position remains that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close.</p><p>In respect of the two requests for mutual legal assistance, it would not be appropriate to share information as it may harm on-going criminal investigations or future prosecutions.</p><p>The purpose of mutual legal assistance is to assist law enforcement agencies at home and abroad with criminal investigations and the prosecution of criminal offences. It is an essential tool for cutting crime and preventing terrorism.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 02/11/2018 12:08:31 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

990132

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Burma: Crimes against Humanity
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 October (HL10414) which stated that they were looking at the “option of an ad hoc tribunal” relating to crimes under international law committed in Burma, what assessment they have made of the consistency between this Answer and previous Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 October (HL10370, HL10371, HL10372, and HL10373) which stated that judgments on war crimes and genocide were “a matter for judicial decision” rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies; and what powers would be given to any ad hoc tribunal in order to enable it to function as a judicial body.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL10754
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2018 answer text <p>​The Foreign Secretary has stated that the international community should consider all accountability options if referral to the International Criminal Court of the situation in Burma is not possible. This could include the possibility of the establishment of an ad hoc judicial tribunal, which could provide a clear, impartial and independent measure of whether genocide has occurred. The ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, established under a mandate from the UN Security Council, functioned as judicial bodies. We would expect any future ad hoc tribunals, similarly mandated, to function as judicial bodies.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/10/2018 14:27:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

990133

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	South Sudan: Oil
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 October (HL10375 and HL10376), what assurances they have received from the government of South Sudan that there will now be appropriate accountability by that government for the management of its oil revenues; and what discussions they have had with non-governmental organisations in South Sudan about this issue.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anelay of St Johns
uin	HL10755
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK welcomes the signing of the revised peace agreement on 12 September. As part of this deal, all of the parties committed to economic reforms, including more transparent and accountable management of oil revenues. They must now show genuine commitment to implement all of this agreement in full. They have taken some important steps but there is a very long way to go. <br> <br>Through our bilateral engagement, and as a member of the Troika, we continue to urge the Government and other parties to meet their commitments and ensure that the country's resources are managed in a transparent and accountable way, for the benefit of all South Sudanese. We also continue to support civil society's important and active role in all aspects of the peace process and its implementation.​</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 05/11/2018 12:21:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns

990134

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	International Day of Persons with Disabilities
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities; and whether such plans will reflect this year's focus on empowering persons with disabilities for an inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anelay of St Johns
uin	HL10756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2018 answer text <p>The Department for International Development will mark the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3<sup>rd</sup> December by launching DFID’s new Disability Strategy at an event co-hosted with the BOND Disability and Development Group. The Strategy sets the empowerment of all people with disabilities at its centre, reflecting the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Many DFID offices around the world will also be marking the day with national events.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 26/10/2018 13:37:04 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns

990135

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Family Planning
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Population Fund report The Power of Choice: reproductive rights and the demographic transition, published in October; and whether they plan to respond to the recommendations outlined in that report.
tabling member printed	Baroness Anelay of St Johns
uin	HL10757
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2018 answer text <p>We welcome UNFPA’s new report and the breadth of important ground it covers. While we are currently digesting the report’s findings we are delighted that UNFPA emphasises among its recommendations issues as varied as ending child marriage, championing reproductive rights, achieving gender equality and reaching young people and adolescents; all areas in which the UK is proud to lead the world. We will continue to be a strong partner to UNFPA, including on working to reduce unmet need for modern family planning and to support the demographic transition in the poorest countries.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 30/10/2018 13:44:04 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns