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77773

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2014
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Railways: Liverpool
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the relative impact on Liverpool, compared to Leeds and Manchester, if neither HS2 nor the proposed HS3 rail links are connected to the city.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL1070
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2014 answer text <p>The high level assessments of potential options for the route of Phase Two of HS2, including options for serving Liverpool, were published and can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/options-for-phase-two-of-the-high-speed-rail-network" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/options-for-phase-two-of-the-high-speed-rail-network</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The potential route of HS3 to introduce improved rail links in the North has not been decided. The plans are at an early stage. The Government has asked Sir David Higgins to produce a Plan for bringing the benefits of high speed rail to the north more quickly, as well as initial proposals for faster east-west connections – including options on route, timescales and cost, and to deliver this in the Autumn. This will start the process by which we can have a proper debate about the future of rail connectivity in the North.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 18/07/2014 11:00:40 question first ministerially corrected 21/07/2014 11:16:51 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer previous answer version 11110 answering member printed Baroness Adams of Craigielea answering member 631
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

49802

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reduce the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product to below 40 per cent; and, if so, in which year.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL6822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>As set out in Budget 2014, given the costs and risks of high levels of debt, once the supplementary debt target has been met, any future government will need to ensure that debt continues to fall as a percentage of GDP. Even in the absence of future shocks sustained action will be needed to bring down debt.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

60531

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Infrastructure
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much is being invested in national infrastructure in 2014, and how much planned over the next five years, as a percentage share of gross domestic product; and how that compares with the long-run Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL120
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2014 answer text <p>The Government's measure of total public infrastructure investment is public sector gross investment (PSGI). The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast at the March 2014 Budget that this will be 3.0 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014-15. Forecasts of government expenditure are generally made on a financial rather than a calendar year basis and are presently only available out to 2018-19.The figures to the end of the forecast period are as set out below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>2018-19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Public sector gross investment as % of GDP</p></td><td><p>3.0</p></td><td><p>2.9</p></td><td><p>2.9</p></td><td><p>2.8</p></td><td><p>2.8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>PSGI measures the direct spending on infrastructure projects by the whole public sector, unlike other measures such as net investment which are adjusted to exclude certain elements of spending. Internationally comparable figures for PSGI are not readily available. The UK's fiscal framework is based around the entire public sector, many other countries only use a measure for general government that excludes public corporations so these are often the only comparative measures available. The OBR forecasts include some international comparisons of different investment measures. These can be found at the link below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-march-2014/" target="_blank">http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-march-2014/</a></p><p> </p><p>Neither PSGI nor the OBR figures include private investment in infrastructure which is an important element of overall infrastructure investment in the UK. The published infrastructure pipeline, which covers economic infrastructure only, provides an overview of planned public and private investment to 2020 and beyond, and can be found at the link below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-plan-2013" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-plan-2013</a></p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 19/06/2014 15:26:43 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

60532

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Economic Situation
	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 time taken for the United Kingdom economy to return to recovery in comparison to other leading countries; and what they consider to be the reasons for the differences in those timescales.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL121
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p>UK GDP fell 7.2% between the first quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2009. Of the G7 economies Japan was the only one that had a deeper recession, and the depth of UK recession was almost twice that of the US.</p><p>Thanks to the government's long term economic plan, since the trough of the recession the UK has grown faster than France, Italy, Spain and the euro area as a whole. In the year to the first quarter of 2014 the UK grew faster than any other G7 economy, the deficit has fallen by over a third as a share of GDP since 2009-10 and there are more people in work than ever before. But the job is not yet done and the biggest risk now to the recovery would be abandoning the plan that is delivering a brighter economic future.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 17/06/2014 15:41:06 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

61921

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Copyright: Internet
	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 effect of the Digital Economy Act 2010 in reducing copyright theft via the internet.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL339
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2014 answer text <p>The online infringement of copyright provisions within the Digital Economy Act 2010 have not yet been implemented, and so no such assessment has been carried out. The delay is due to a number of factors, including legal challenge and ensuring compliance with Government “Managing Public Money” principles. In the meantime the Government has encouraged the industry to investigate a voluntary copyright alert programme, which should produce similar results in a significantly shorter timescale. I am grateful to the industry for the energy with which they have picked up this challenge. Nevertheless, unless an effective alternative is put in place, Government continues to be committed to implementation of the provisions with the Digital Economy Act.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/06/2014 13:24:55 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

62469

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Productivity
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the latest available figures on output (1) per worker, and (2) per hour worked, in the United Kingdom; and how those figures compare with the equivalents for Germany, France and the United States.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 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 23/06/2014 12:51:36 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire attachment 1 file name PQ HL398 ONS 270.pdf title ONS Letter to Peer
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

63771

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Road Signs and Markings
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the extent of worn-down and faint road markings, including zebra crossings; and what assessment they have made of the impact on road safety.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL555
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The assessment of the condition of road markings including those for zebra crossings is a matter for individual local highway authorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department for Transport provides guidance for traffic authorities on the installation and maintenance of road markings in the Traffic Signs Manual and in Departmental Standards. Compliance with the latter is mandatory on the trunk road network, and constitutes good practice elsewhere.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>However, traffic authorities must balance competing demands on their resources. In particular, severe weather imposes a heavy burden and emergency repair works can divert resources from carrying out routine maintenance operations, no matter how desirable. It would not be appropriate for central Government to interfere in authorities' freedom to decide how best to discharge their statutory duty to maintain the highways under their control.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 08/07/2014 14:50:48 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

64599

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Debts
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the ratio of the aggregated value of sovereign, corporate and personal debt to gross domestic product is higher in the United Kingdom than in other leading economies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL686
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2014 answer text <p>The aggregate value of general government, non-financial corporations and household sector debt (as a proportion of GDP) for all G7 countries are shown below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Country</p></td><td><p>Debt as a proportion of GDP in 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Canada</p></td><td><p>347%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>France</p></td><td><p>335%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Germany</p></td><td><p>248%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Italy</p></td><td><p>329%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Japan</p></td><td><p>476%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UK</p></td><td><p>309%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>US</p></td><td><p>320%</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 07/07/2014 11:11:49 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

65937

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	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 consumers receive the broadband speeds for which they pay.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL864
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2014 answer text <p>Ofcom, the independent national regulatory authority for communications has agreed a voluntary industry code of practice on broadband speeds. It was introduced in 2008 and subsequently updated in 2010, and requires internet service providers to provide consumers with information on the maximum speed they can achieve, including an estimated speed range, to help ensure that consumers choose the package that is the most appropriate for them in light of their individual circumstances and needs. All the largest internet service providers representing 98% of the broadband consumer market are signed up to the Code and have agreed to abide by its principles and spirit. Headline broadband speeds advertised are unlikely to be achievable all the time. There are a variety of reasons for broadband speed variations, not all of which are within the broadband service provider�s control. The important thing is that consumers receive accurate information on broadband speeds at the point of sale to allow them to make informed purchasing decisions, and ensure that there is not a mismatch between the speeds they expect to receive and what they actually get.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom has undertaken successive mystery shopping exercises to check compliance with the Code. Results have shown that the level of compliance has continued to improve. The latest results published in May 2013 found that overall 96% of mystery shopping callers were provided with a speed estimate (93% in 2011/12). There was also an improvement overall in the provision of speeds information provided to mystery shoppers via the web. All signatories to the Code, with the exception of two small providers, offered a speed checker which provide estimated access line speeds. The percentage of assessments where any speed estimate was given via the website rose from 87% in 2011/12 to 92% in 2013.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom is currently discussing with industry and consumer groups, its proposals to revise the Code to reflect significant changes in the broadband market since the Code�s introduction, with the increased take up of superfast packages. The proposals include improving the information on speeds for consumers buying superfast packages to equal that received by consumers buying current generation services.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/07/2014 13:25:11 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt

76597

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Internet: Privacy
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in light of the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice, they plan to introduce legislation to clarify the law on the right to be forgotten.
	tabling member printed	Lord Birt
	uin	HL941
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2014 answer text <p>The Government is continuing to assess the implications of the recent European Court of Justice ruling on the ‘right to be forgotten’. However, it is important to be clear that the ECJ judgment does not give individuals an unfettered right to have their personal data deleted from search engine results.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is conscious of the possible unintended consequences of the judgment, such as the administrative burdens for search engines in complying with the judgment, a potential increase in caseload for the Information Commissioner’s Office in responding to complaints and ultimately the volume of cases that may end up in the Tribunal on appeal.</p><p> </p><p>With this in mind, the Government welcomes the work being undertaken by the Committee of European data protection authorities to develop criteria to be used by search engine operators to consider requests for deletion. The guidance issued by this Committee will be of vital importance to search engines operators in striking the right balance between the privacy rights of individuals and other interests, including the public interest in retaining the information. Therefore as well as supporting search engine operators with the practical application of the ruling, the Government considers this guidance is the right mechanism for clarifying the rights and obligations provided by this judgment.</p><p> </p><p>At the same time negotiations on a replacement General Data Protection Regulation are ongoing in the Council of the EU, including on proposed provisions which are in shorthand called the ‘right to be forgotten’ provisions. The Government does not support the ‘right to be forgotten’ as proposed by the European Commission. It is not technologically possible to remove all trace of data uploaded on the internet and we should be mindful of setting unrealistic expectations for data subjects which do not exist in practice. The Government also consider that an obligation to inform other controllers of a request under the so called ‘right to be forgotten’ should be made clearer and more realistic. Therefore, we will continue to make the case for greater clarity and a more proportionate approach to this measure.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 22/07/2014 14:32:04 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
	tabling member	2533 label Biography information for Lord Birt