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166202

	registered interest
	date	26/11/2014
	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	Islamic State
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they estimate IS to have received in kidnap ransoms; and what assessment they have made of the reported Iraqi intelligence estimates that they have received $200 million.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3186
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>There is considerable speculation over how much the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other terrorist groups have secured from kidnapping for ransom. In October 2014 the UN Al Qaeda Sanctions Monitoring Team estimated that ISIL had received between US$35 and US$45 million in ransom payments in the preceding twelve months.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 11/12/2014 12:48:40 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

166635

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupils: Roma
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the inclusion of Roma children in United Kingdom schools.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3226
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has moved away from bespoke top-down programmes and initiatives aimed at ensuring the inclusion of individual ethnic groups of pupils. Our approach is to set a clear expectation that all schools ensure that all their pupils, regardless of their ethnicity, are welcomed and fully integrated into school, and prepared for life in modern Britain.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education continues to engage with the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) education stakeholder group, chaired by Baroness Whitaker, to disseminate good practice and encourage local action, particularly around how to improve GRT pupils’ attendance and attainment.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Nash question first answered 11/12/2014 16:26:11 answering member 4270 label Biography information for Lord Nash
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

168126

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2014
	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	Mobile Phones
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure people are not trapped in unfair mobile phone contracts.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL3468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>Ofcom, the UK Regulator for Telecoms, oversees the General Conditions of Entitlement (GCEs), the rules under which Telecoms companies must operate in the UK. GC 9.6 provides consumer protection in the event of mid-contract variations. Under GC 9.6, providers must give customers notice of contract modifications (e.g. price rises) likely to cause ‘material detriment’ to them and the right to exit the contract without penalty in response. Ofcom published guidance at the start of this year clarifying these rules and further enabling competition in the market to deliver a choice of competitive tariffs for the consumer in the UK.<br>Major telecoms companies have also agreed to work with the Government and Ofcom on ways to improve transparency in contracts in line with the principles underpinning the Ofcom guidance. The Government and the Regulator will continue to work with the industry to promote further ways of ensuring that consumers have the best possible information to help them make informed choices about the communications services they purchase.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 11/12/2014 16:23:28 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

166636

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	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	Higher Education
	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 impact of massive open online courses on traditional higher education.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3227
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has not conducted a formal assessment of the impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 11/12/2014 12:49:11 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

167916

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Fraud
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with international partners to help combat phone scamming.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL3440
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>We do not hold information on the cost of any industry initiatives to counter phone scamming however Ofcom, the police and landline providers are currently working together to reduce the time a caller can stay on the line which makes it much more difficult for criminals to exploit phone lines for fraudulent purposes.</p><p>Telephone companies and industry bodies work in a number of ways to combat phone scamming, often in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, such as the City of London Police who run the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The NFIB partners with a number of telecommunications companies and industry wide organisations, including Ofcom to reduce the impact of this crime.</p><p>This Government takes this issue very seriously and is working with partners across industry and law enforcement to raise awareness and improve the overall response to fraud, including those committed over the phone. This includes work with national and local partners to reduce the likelihood of individuals becoming a victim, or repeat victim, such as our current campaign with Avon and Somerset Police and Neighbourhood Watch aimed at the vulnerable elderly. Through Action Fraud, we also provide information on the latest threats and protective advice.</p><p>The Fraud Act 2006 established for the first time a single offence of fraud. It makes no distinction in the method used to commit fraud and as such captures fraud committed over the telephone as well as fraud committed in other ways. We keep the effectiveness of legislation under review and have no current plans to make alterations to the Fraud Act.</p><p>Law enforcement partners, such as the Economic Crime Command of the National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, the lead force for Fraud are engaged in various operations with international connections. For example, the National Crime Agency recently collaborated with the City of London Police on Operation RICO, a major investigation against organised crime groups engaged in investment fraud often conducted over the phone. A coordinated international day of action in February resulted in 110 arrests in the UK, USA, Spain and Serbia, and the seizure of significant assets and cash.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3439 question first answered 11/12/2014 14:39:37 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

167914

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Fraud
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial contribution the telephone companies make towards combatting phone scamming crimes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL3438
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>We do not hold information on the cost of any industry initiatives to counter phone scamming however Ofcom, the police and landline providers are currently working together to reduce the time a caller can stay on the line which makes it much more difficult for criminals to exploit phone lines for fraudulent purposes.</p><p>Telephone companies and industry bodies work in a number of ways to combat phone scamming, often in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, such as the City of London Police who run the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The NFIB partners with a number of telecommunications companies and industry wide organisations, including Ofcom to reduce the impact of this crime.</p><p>This Government takes this issue very seriously and is working with partners across industry and law enforcement to raise awareness and improve the overall response to fraud, including those committed over the phone. This includes work with national and local partners to reduce the likelihood of individuals becoming a victim, or repeat victim, such as our current campaign with Avon and Somerset Police and Neighbourhood Watch aimed at the vulnerable elderly. Through Action Fraud, we also provide information on the latest threats and protective advice.</p><p>The Fraud Act 2006 established for the first time a single offence of fraud. It makes no distinction in the method used to commit fraud and as such captures fraud committed over the telephone as well as fraud committed in other ways. We keep the effectiveness of legislation under review and have no current plans to make alterations to the Fraud Act.</p><p>Law enforcement partners, such as the Economic Crime Command of the National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, the lead force for Fraud are engaged in various operations with international connections. For example, the National Crime Agency recently collaborated with the City of London Police on Operation RICO, a major investigation against organised crime groups engaged in investment fraud often conducted over the phone. A coordinated international day of action in February resulted in 110 arrests in the UK, USA, Spain and Serbia, and the seizure of significant assets and cash.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 11/12/2014 14:38:13 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

166621

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Magna Carta
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they are making available to organisations marking the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta; and how those funds will be used.
	tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
	uin	HL3212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>In March this year the Chancellor of the Exchequer provided a direct grant of £1 million to the Magna Carta Trust to support the celebration of the 800<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. Applications for funding were invited by the Trust and a list of projects that were successful is available at: <a href="http://magnacarta800th.com/projects/" target="_blank">http://magnacarta800th.com/projects/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the direct grant of £1 million, Magna Carta projects have benefited from awards totalling £21.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Successful projects range from £502,900 awarded to Salisbury Cathedral’s ‘Engaging with Magna Carta’ programme to £7,400 for the Walkern History Society’s self guided history trail.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice has also provided four members of staff to support the development of the Global Law Summit, to be held in February next year, a world-class legal conference which will address the continuing relevance of Magna Carta to modern-world legal and business issues.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 11/12/2014 17:02:15 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
	tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

168121

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2014
	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	Horse Racing: Betting
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current status of their consultation on the reform of the Horserace Betting Levy in the light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement announcement of the introduction of a racing right.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lipsey
	uin	HL3463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>As a result of our analysis of the responses to the two consultations it is clear that more detail is required as to how a replacement for the Levy would work. In order to enable a fair comparison between reform and replacement we will work up the “racing right” proposal and engage constructively with stakeholders so that a fully informed decision can be made. We will consult early in the New Year.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 11/12/2014 16:22:11 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	2492 label Biography information for Lord Lipsey

167253

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2014
	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	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent steps they have taken to improve enforcement of the national minimum wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL3354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs enforces the National Minimum Wage for all workers and investigates every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights helpline. In addition, HMRC conducts pro-active enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking a tough approach towards employers that do not comply with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, including through making their non-compliance public. 55 employers have been named so far and between them they owed workers a total of over £139,000 in arrears.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the unpaid arrears owed to workers and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. This came into effect on 7 March 2014. We are introducing primary legislation so that the penalty can be calculated on a per worker basis.</p><p> </p><p>Any worker who thinks they are not being paid what they are legally entitled to can call the Pay and Work Right Helpline on 0800 917 2368. Employers can also call the helpline for free advice if they are unsure of their obligations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 11/12/2014 14:21:53 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

167915

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Fraud
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what review mechanisms are in place to ensure that legislation to combat phone scamming is fit for purpose.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL3439
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>We do not hold information on the cost of any industry initiatives to counter phone scamming however Ofcom, the police and landline providers are currently working together to reduce the time a caller can stay on the line which makes it much more difficult for criminals to exploit phone lines for fraudulent purposes.</p><p>Telephone companies and industry bodies work in a number of ways to combat phone scamming, often in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, such as the City of London Police who run the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The NFIB partners with a number of telecommunications companies and industry wide organisations, including Ofcom to reduce the impact of this crime.</p><p>This Government takes this issue very seriously and is working with partners across industry and law enforcement to raise awareness and improve the overall response to fraud, including those committed over the phone. This includes work with national and local partners to reduce the likelihood of individuals becoming a victim, or repeat victim, such as our current campaign with Avon and Somerset Police and Neighbourhood Watch aimed at the vulnerable elderly. Through Action Fraud, we also provide information on the latest threats and protective advice.</p><p>The Fraud Act 2006 established for the first time a single offence of fraud. It makes no distinction in the method used to commit fraud and as such captures fraud committed over the telephone as well as fraud committed in other ways. We keep the effectiveness of legislation under review and have no current plans to make alterations to the Fraud Act.</p><p>Law enforcement partners, such as the Economic Crime Command of the National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, the lead force for Fraud are engaged in various operations with international connections. For example, the National Crime Agency recently collaborated with the City of London Police on Operation RICO, a major investigation against organised crime groups engaged in investment fraud often conducted over the phone. A coordinated international day of action in February resulted in 110 arrests in the UK, USA, Spain and Serbia, and the seizure of significant assets and cash.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3440 question first answered 11/12/2014 14:39:37 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark