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156522

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2014
	answering body	Leader of the House of Lords
	answering dept id	92
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Leader of the House of Lords
	hansard heading	Written Questions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask the Leader of the House what steps she takes to ensure the quality of answers to parliamentary questions; and what assessment she has made of the length of time taken to provide them.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL2945
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>It is the responsibility of individual ministers to decide what answers they give to Questions for Written Answer (QWAs), and they are of course accountable to the House for those answers. That direct accountability is important: that is why Ministers in this House must provide personally signed answers to members. The Ministerial Code states that <em>“It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”.<br><br></em>As Leader of the House I have a particular responsibility to encourage Ministers and their departments to be punctual in answering written questions. My office immediately approach departments who have not responded to questions after 10 working days, and remain in contact with them until the questions are answered. At the end of this Session I will publish data on the annual performance of departments on their promptness in dealing with QWAs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stowell of Beeston question first answered 03/12/2014 12:49:49 answering member 4205 label Biography information for Baroness Stowell of Beeston
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

178946

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2015
	answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
	answering dept id	63
	answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
	answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
	hansard heading	Electricity: Prices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that companies which supply electricity will reflect reductions in the cost of fuel in their charges to customers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4925
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p>All of the major suppliers have reduced their standard variable gas tariffs in recent weeks in response to reductions in the wholesale gas price in 2014, but wholesale electricity prices have not fallen as much over the same period. The price of fixed term deals has continued to fall with the cheapest deal on the market £100 cheaper than the cheapest deal a year ago.</p><p>The Competition and Markets Authority has made clear that it will be looking at the relationship between wholesale costs and retail prices as part of its investigation.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 23/02/2015 16:36:34 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

101733

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Population
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what projection they have made of the size of the population of the United Kingdom in 2030, 2040, and 2050.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL2542
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 11/11/2014 15:57:45 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire attachment 1 file name HL2542 Lord Laird ONS.pdf title UK Statistics Authority Response
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

156523

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Written Questions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what instructions and training notes they provide to officials preparing answers to parliamentary questions; and whether they will publish any such documents.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL2946
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>Guidance on responding to written parliamentary questions is provided by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons. This guidance is published on the Gov.uk website at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance</a>. A copy of the guidance is attached to this answer.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 01/12/2014 16:18:17 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire attachment 1 file name drafting-pq-responses.pdf title Drafting Answers Guidance
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166121

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	UK Membership of EU
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in a referendum on the United Kingdom membership of the European Union, those United Kingdom citizens who live in other European Union countries will be allowed a vote.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL3179
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p><strong>The franchise for any referendum is set out in primary legislation which establishes that referendum. It will therefore be for Parliament to agree the franchise to be used in any future referendum on UK membership of the European Union. </strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 08/12/2014 17:56:09 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166217

	registered interest
	date	26/11/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Civil Service: Dyslexia
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to inform staff in the civil service about dyslexia.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL3201
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government is committed to developing inclusive policies and delivering services which are accessible to all citizens as well. Departments are responsible for developing policies and guidance on disability, including dyslexia. This guidance is available to staff on departmental intranet pages.</p><p>As an example, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) employs 120 “neuro-diverse” intelligence officers for code breaking and counter-espionage.</p><p>In addition, Civil Service Learning provides equality and diversity e-learning for all civil servants. Managers have access to disability awareness learning.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 08/12/2014 17:49:08 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

167904

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Free Movement of People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are resident in each European Union country; and how many citizens of each of those countries have immigrated to the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL3428
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 09/12/2014 15:34:35 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire attachment 1 file name HL3428 ONS 450.pdf title ONS Letter to Member - British Citizen Resident
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

93699

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	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	Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Romanians and Bulgarians have sought social security benefits that were inaccessible before 1 January 2014; and how many such nationals are currently in receipt of child benefit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL2128
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government does not record the nationality of the claimant receiving social security benefits including child benefit.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 20/10/2014 14:29:56 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

93700

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	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	National Insurance: Foreign Nationals
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many foreign nationals have been given national insurance numbers in the last eight quarters; how many were given numbers in total in those two years; and what were the top 20 nationalities of those given national insurance numbers in the last two years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL2129
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>The information requested for the number of foreign nationals registered for national insurance numbers is published and available at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm</a></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The number National Insurance numbers registered to foreign nationals in the last 8 quarters and the total number registered in the two year period from July 2012 to June 2014 is shown in Table 1.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The top 20 nationalities for those registered with a National Insurance number in the same two year period is in Table 2.</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>Table 1:</strong> Number of NINo registrations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK, by quarter for the last two years.</ins></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Jul-12 to Sep-12</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">123,590</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Oct-12 to Dec-12</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">139,390</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Jan-13 to Mar-13</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">178,372</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Apr-13 to Jun-13</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">131,525</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Jul-13 to Sep-13</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">148,389</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Oct-13 to Dec-13</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">158,953</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Jan-14 to Mar-14</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">164,432</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Apr-14 to Jun-14</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">93,945</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>Total</strong></ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>1,138,593</strong></ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>Table 2:</strong> Total number of NINo registrations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK for the top 20 nationalities in the last 2 years.</ins></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Poland (Joined EU in 2004)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">188,046</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Spain</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">88,388</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Romania (Joined EU in 2007)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">81,122</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Italy</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">74,374</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">India</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">56,694</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Portugal</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">50,257</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Rep of Lithuania (Joined EU in 2004)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">45,950</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Hungary (Joined EU in 2004)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">45,450</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">France</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">41,920</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Bulgaria (Joined EU in 2007)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">31,580</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Rep of Ireland</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">30,604</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Pakistan</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">25,979</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Rep of Latvia (Joined EU in 2004)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">22,845</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Slovak Rep (Joined EU in 2004)</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">22,361</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">China Peoples Rep</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">21,910</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Australia</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">20,788</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Germany</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">20,423</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Nigeria</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">19,965</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">Greece</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">17,260</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><ins class="ministerial">USA</ins></p></td><td><p><ins class="ministerial">16,767</ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Source: Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and Pensions</ins></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">Notes:</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">2. A change to the process of recording NINos during the quarter April-June 2014, means that the volume of NINo registrations recorded are lower in this quarter than would otherwise be the case (estimated to be around 15% - 25% lower in the quarter April - June 2014 and 2% - 5% lower for the year to June 2014). Therefore, comparisons of NINo registrations over time for the latest periods (quarterly and annually) should be viewed with caution. The process issues impact all nationalities i.e. the impact is not skewed to migrants from specific countries.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">3. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording and Pay as you Earn System (NPS).</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">4. Data is available up to June 2014, which is the latest information available.</ins></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 22/10/2014 14:51:46 question first ministerially corrected 06/11/2014 16:58:14 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud previous answer version 23638 answering member printed Lord Freud answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

173534

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	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	Pensions and Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place administratively and legislatively to reduce public sector pensions and social security benefits in the event of the consumer and retail price indices September 2015 recording negative growth and deflation; and what preparations they are making for that eventuality.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Decisions about the up-rating of social security benefits, and subsequent changes to public sector pensions, are taken annually following the publication of September’s price inflation, so such decisions would be for a future Government.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 19/01/2015 15:09:24 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird