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61475

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Housing: Construction
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the availability of skilled personnel to carry out the building work necessary; and what measures they are taking to train sufficient numbers to ensure the success of the house building programme.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL253
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>There has been no specific assessment of the availability of skilled personnel for the home building sector. The Construction Industry Training Board's (CITB) latest Construction Skills Network Report forecasts an annual recruitment requirement for the construction sector, including home building, of 36,400 a year for the 2013 – 2018 period.</p><p> </p><p>Under the auspices of the Construction Leadership Council, the house building industry is developing an action plan to address two immediate priorities: improving the image of house building and attracting back experienced workers who left during the recession, and other workers with relevant skills. More widely, the Government is making a number of reforms to the skills system to improve skills supply, putting employers in the driving seat and making providers more responsive to their needs.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also currently undertaking a triennial review of the way the CITB operates and challenging it on the service it delivers to the sector.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 24/06/2014 16:22:41 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

61476

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Housing: Construction
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the ability of the United Kingdom building supplies industry to provide bricks, timber and other materials; and what measures they are taking to encourage growth in the building supplies industry to provide sufficient materials to ensure the success of the house building programme.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL254
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Government has noted advice from the Construction Products Association that there is no general lack of capacity in UK products manufacturers. The Association advises that only 19 per cent of companies producing heavy building materials are currently operating at near capacity. As the products sector adjusts to the return to growth it expects that capacity will increase further in response to demand.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 24/06/2014 16:31:26 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

50281

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the changes to the Disabled Students Allowance, what criteria will be used for assessing complex needs in candidates with specific learning difficulties or dyslexia.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL6999
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>Discussions are underway with experts in the sector. Disabled students whose needs cannot be met by the reasonable adjustments made by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will continue to receive support through Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs).</p><p><br></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

61514

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Students: Loans
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Student Loans Company does not provide up-to-date online information about the state of an account, detailing all repayments made into the account via the PAYE system since the last statement was issued.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Sharp of Guildford
	uin	HL292
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>HMRC collates employer information on student loan deductions at the end of each tax year and provides this information in P14 “end of year summaries” to the SLC. The SLC calculate interest and statements are issued to borrowers, advising them of their deductions, interest and outstanding balance at the end of the tax year. This process is repeated annually until all student loan repayments are collected.</p><p> </p><p>The repayment information held by the SLC will, as a result of this system, be accurate to the April of the previous tax year. The SLC is not in a position to provide an accurate settlement of a borrower's balance more recently than the previous April. However, the borrower can track and monitor their own settlement balance online if they retain a note of all their repayment deductions made over the tax year.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC, BIS and SLC are currently discussing arrangements to share student loan repayment information more quickly, but there is no mechanism to do so in the current tax system and necessary changes will take some time to implement.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 24/06/2014 16:20:36 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	2113 label Biography information for Baroness Sharp of Guildford

49921

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which official, with what job title, is responsible and accountable for departmental management information in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL6891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p>The Cabinet Committee PEX(ER) agreed that all Departments appoint a Senior Civil Servant level Head of Management Information. In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills this responsibility is held by The Director of Finance, Planning and Performance, Charu Gorasia.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

63141

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Postal Services: Competition
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have conducted research to review whether end-to-end competition in the postal sector is more likely to affect the universal service than in other European countries due to (1) the United Kingdom's economic geography, and (2) the United Kingdom mandatory access requirements.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	uin	HL550
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom, as an independent regulator for postal services, the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal service.</p><p> </p><p>Parliament has given Ofcom the regulatory powers and tools it needs to intervene in the market if the provision of the universal service is ever at risk.</p><p> </p><p>Given its statutory duties, it is for Ofcom to monitor and assess any impact of postal competition on the provision of the universal service. To this end Ofcom has put in place a comprehensive monitoring regime to keep the situation under review.</p><p> </p><p>More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 02/07/2014 15:57:30 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

62515

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Postal Services
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering any regulatory changes to protect the universal postal service in the light of postal service providers other than Royal Mail being able to serve selected areas only.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	uin	HL444
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom, as an independent regulator for postal services, the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal service.</p><p> </p><p>Parliament has given Ofcom the regulatory powers and tools it needs to intervene in the market if the universal service is ever at risk. It is for Ofcom to determine how it uses its powers and tools in support of its statutory duties.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom also has a duty to promote competition where that benefits consumers, though should the two duties be in conflict it is the universal service that takes precedence in the interests of postal users.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 02/07/2014 14:55:44 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

62514

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Postal Services
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering a review of the direct delivery market in the light of postal service providers other than Royal Mail being able to serve selected areas only.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	uin	HL443
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom, as an independent regulator for postal services, the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal service.</p><p> </p><p>Last year, following a consultation, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for postal services, set out its guidance on its approach to intervening in response to a material threat to the provision of the universal service.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom has made clear that if its ongoing monitoring regime, which keeps the situation under continual review and allows for any new evidence, does not prompt the need for any earlier assessment, it will as a matter of course carry out a full assessment of the impact of competition on the universal service towards the end of 2015.</p><p> </p><p>More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 02/07/2014 14:56:36 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

63788

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Advisory Bodies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their advisory committees, if they need to undertake a review for which they do not have the expertise, are permitted to commission organisations that specialise in that field.
	tabling member printed	The Countess of Mar
	uin	HL572
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p /> <p>There is nothing in the Code of Practice for Science Advisory Committees (CoPSAC[1]) that prevents a committee from commissioning additional advice from experts, and committees are encouraged to “seek a wide range of advice from the best sources, particularly when there is uncertainty”.</p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p>CoPSAC states “Where a SAC lacks the relevant expertise for a particular project or task (as opposed to the committee's on-going work), the committee can co-opt appropriate experts or establish sub-groups to include such people on an ad hoc, time-limited basis”.</p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <br /> <p>[1]<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf</a></p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <br /> <p>[1]<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/07/2014 14:53:13 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	1861 label Biography information for The Countess of Mar

63795

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Domestic Service: Conditions of Employment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to end the abuse and exploitation of domestic workers in the United Kingdom, especially those from overseas; what means they will use to ensure that such workers have contracts of employment and are regularly paid at least the minimum wage; and whether such protection can extend to the employees of foreign diplomats.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL579
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The UK already provides comprehensive employment and social protections to domestic workers and as a rule, domestic workers in the UK are entitled to the same employment rights as workers generally – including the National Minimum Wage (unless they are treated as if they are a member of the family), statutory sick pay, paid annual leave, protections from discrimination and unfair dismissals as well as other protections.</p><p> </p><p>We are fully committed to ensuring that domestic workers are able to access their rights. Anyone who believes they are being mistreated by their employer in any way has access to a number of organisations who can help including the police, the Pay and Work Rights Helpline and Employment Tribunals.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also focused on ensuring that overseas domestic workers are informed about their rights and immigration and borders staff are trained to recognise potential victims of abuse. Overseas domestic workers must have been employed for 12 months before a visa will be granted and must have a signed statement of terms and conditions of employment in line with the National Minimum Wage legislation. Every overseas domestic worker is also provided with a letter informing them of their rights in the UK and where to get help if needed. This letter is provided in a range of languages as well as English.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, all foreign diplomats in the UK are required to respect our laws, including employment regulations. The FCO treats any allegation of mistreatment of staff in diplomatic households very seriously. Any allegations that the law has been broken are investigated by the police and the FCO will take appropriate steps to assist the investigation which may include requesting the withdrawal of diplomatic immunity.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 02/07/2014 15:52:56 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton