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1087528

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Obscenity: Prosecutions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the (1) Director of Public Prosecutions, and (2) Crown Prosecution Service, on whether an imported child sex doll falls within the definition of an obscene article under the Customs Consolidation Act 1876.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Howe of Idlicote
	uin	HL14452
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted the importation of child sex dolls under the provisions of the Customs Consolidation Act 1876, in conjunction with the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, where there is sufficient evidence to do so and a prosecution is required in the public interest. The CPS intends to issue guidance to assist prosecutors considering such allegations shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 25/03/2019 13:45:06 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	3610 label Biography information for Baroness Howe of Idlicote

1087544

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Employment: Equality
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the introduction of quotas for executive women in the workplace and for all BAME employees.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McGregor-Smith
	uin	HL14465
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to working with the business community to create more inclusive workplaces from the shop floor to the boardroom. The Government commissioned and supports several business-led independent reviews, such as the Hampton-Alexander Review to increase the representation of women on boards and senior leadership positions in FTSE 350 companies to 33% by 2020 and the Parker Review to increase the ethnic diversity of FTSE 350 boards by 2024.</p><p>These reviews form part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy which aims to build an economy that works for all.</p><p>This business-led approach is working, with, for example, the representation of women on FTSE 100 boards rising to 30.9% from 12.5% in 2011.</p><p>Government agreed with my Noble friend’s recommendation that companies should set and publish aspirational diversity targets; and committed to lead from the front in the public sector. In June 2018 we published targets for the Civil Service to tackle the under-representation of ethnic minority staff in our most senior roles. If successful, we will approximately double the current proportion of new recruits from an ethnic minority to 13.2% by 2025.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 25/03/2019 11:55:14 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4554 label Biography information for Baroness McGregor-Smith

1087572

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Consumer Goods: Electrical Safety
	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 effectiveness of legislation governing the sale of recalled electrical products; and whether they have any plans to introduce legislation covering the sale of such products.
	tabling member printed	Lord Shipley
	uin	HL14488
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 places duties on manufacturers, importers and distributors of electrical equipment to ensure that where a safety issue is identified, appropriate action is taken to withdraw, recall or otherwise bring the equipment into conformity. Distributors, including retailers of second-hand goods, also have a duty to act with care to ensure that any products they sell meet the legal safety requirements. There are no plans to introduce any further legislation.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for Product Safety and Standards operates an incident management procedure for managing consumer product safety incidents, to deliver on its wider purpose of protecting consumers and building public confidence in the product safety system. It also makes available information on recalled electrical products through its dedicated product recall website.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 25/03/2019 11:55:52 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4176 label Biography information for Lord Shipley

1087594

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Free Schools: Admissions
	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 free schools have the same proportion of disadvantaged pupils as their local catchment area.
	tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
	uin	HL14507
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>Closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils is a priority for the government. As of 1 March 2019, there are 443 open free schools. These will provide over 250,000 places when at capacity. Over 40% of free schools are open in the 30% most deprived areas in the country.</p><p> </p><p>The department expects that free school education plans and policies should be designed to improve outcomes and enhance the life chances of all children in the local community. We also expect trusts to market their school to attract pupils from a diverse range of backgrounds, including those who are disadvantaged. Free school admission policies must comply with the School Admissions Code to ensure that places are allocated in an open and fair way. This document is attached.</p><p> </p><p>The department is currently assessing wave 13 applications for mainstream free schools. Wave 13 targets the local authority districts identified by the department as having the lowest standards and capacity to improve. By putting good new schools in areas where they are most needed, the free schools programme will enhance the life chances of children in these communities. When assessing applications, the department will consider how the applicant group has targeted disadvantaged pupils and plans to attract applications from these groups.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2019, the department published our criteria for mainstream free school applications in wave 14. Wave 14 is similarly targeted at the areas of the country with the lowest educational standards, where opening a new free school can have the greatest impact on improving outcomes. This includes areas where disadvantaged pupils are being particularly poorly served by local schools.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 25/03/2019 16:52:59 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name School_Admissions_Code.pdf title School_admissions_code
	tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1087561

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children and Young People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration has been given to establishing a ring-fenced fund to protect children and young people from toxic air.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL14479
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>All measures which reduce air pollution will reduce exposure of children to harmful pollutants. Our Clean Air Strategy is clear that children are impacted by air pollution more than the general population, and all the measures set out in the Strategy will reduce emissions of pollution, improving public health.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put in place a £3.5 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions, which includes £495 million for councils to improve air quality. Councils with serious air quality problems may bid for a share of these funds.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are best placed to target action to improve local air quality. Defra’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions which may include action targeting schools. Defra has awarded over £57 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997. A further £3 million has been allocated for 2018/19.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 25/03/2019 17:49:32 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1087519

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Public Sector
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Pakistan Annual Statistical Bulletin of Federal Government Employees 2017–18, published by the government of Pakistan on 26 February, what assessment they have made of (1) the number of people employed from that country’s religious minorities, (2) the nature of the occupations open to them, and (3) the numbers working in either menial jobs or senior management grades; and what assessment they have made of the impact that UK aid programmes have had on those statistics.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL14445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>We have not conducted an assessment of the composition of federal government employees as reported in the Annual Statistical Bulletin of Federal Government Employees 2017–18. However, DFID and the FCO continue to raise the issue of human rights of minorities at the highest levels of government, including in our annual Bilateral Assistance Talks. We advocate greater tolerance and action against abuses when they occur. DFID Pakistan’s Skills Development Programme will provide 330,000 poor and vulnerable people, including those from minority communities, with technical and vocational training to improve their employment prospects.</p><p> </p><p>Our aid relationship with any government is based on an assessment of its commitment to our Partnership Principles, including to promote and safeguard human rights. Our aid targets the poor, regardless of race, religion, social background or nationality. Our portfolio of programmes contributes either directly or indirectly to the protection of minority rights by strengthening systems for delivery of services and by adopting a ‘do no harm’ approach.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 25/03/2019 16:10:50 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1087582

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Gaza: Israel
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of (1) the contamination by heavy metal weapon remnants in Gaza, following the attacks by Israel in 2012 and 2014, and (2) the impact of that contamination on prevalence of pre term infants, low birth weight and birth defects in Gaza since 2011.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL14497
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not made its own assessment of this specific issue. We continue to engage closely with the World Health Organisation, UN OCHA, and other health and humanitarian based NGOs working in Gaza to ensure we are able to comprehensively monitor health and humanitarian needs there.</p><p> </p><p>To help ensure hospitals in Gaza can continue to provide essential services on a range of health issues, we provided £1.5 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) OPTs Appeal in 2018. This funding has helped treat patients in 11 hospitals which are under extreme pressure in Gaza by restocking vital medical supplies including medicines, surgical equipment, and bandages and helping provide physical rehabilitation services for around 4,000 people.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 25/03/2019 16:07:16 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1087580

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Exports
	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 that the recent growth slowdown in key export markets could have on UK trade after Brexit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL14495
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>UK exports are growing, rising 2.7% (£17.0bn) to £636.6bn in the 12 months ending January 2019. In August 2018 we published the government’s Export Strategy, setting out how we will encourage, inform, connect and finance UK businesses of all sizes to enable them to succeed internationally in an increasing competitive environment.</p><p>The UK’s official government forecasts are published in the latest OBR projections. These show UK total export market growth of 3.3% and 3.5% in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Real export growth (excluding the effects of price inflation) is forecast at 1.4% and 1.7% in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and lower in the longer term.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Fairhead question first answered 25/03/2019 12:05:11 answering member 4690 label Biography information for Baroness Fairhead
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1087541

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 11 March (HL14007), what investigations they make into the reasons why the Dart Charge payment has not been made when communicating with those who have defaulted on such a payment; and what options they are considering to improve compliance with the payment of that charge.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
	uin	HL14462
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>Highways England is able to consider reasons for non-compliance when customers opt to challenge their Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) through the relevant representations process. Highways England considers the reasons presented on a case by case basis. If the representation is rejected, the customer may appeal that decision through the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.</p><p>The current compliance rate is 95 per cent, demonstrating that the vast majority of customers are using the scheme successfully. Highways England undertakes a variety of measures to enable and encourage compliance, providing a range of payment options, including pre-pay accounts; allowing for payment up to midnight the day after a crossing is made; and allowing an additional 14 days for payment for first time offences. In addition, it also has a comprehensive signage strategy which includes the use of advance directional signs, variable message signs and safety signs. This is reinforced by public communications campaigns to inform drivers, both in the UK and overseas, about the payment arrangements and the road layout.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 25/03/2019 14:26:03 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1087549

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	A14: Road Signs and Markings
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Highways Agency is considering the removal of the signs on the A14 to the Naseby battlefield site.
	tabling member printed	Lord Naseby
	uin	HL14469
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>Highways England has advised that it will not be removing the tourist signs (brown signs) for the Naseby battlefield site on the A14. Highways England had previously advised that these tourist signs would be removed as part of future planned works on the A14, a decision that was driven by the standards relating to tourist signs on the strategic road network.</p><p> </p><p>Highways England reviewed its decision because it appreciates the significance of the site, and the signs on the A14 will remain in place.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 25/03/2019 14:36:29 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	1251 label Biography information for Lord Naseby