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1124894

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	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	Business
	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 report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Business Confidence Monitor Q2 2019, published in May, which suggests a decline in confidence of UK businesses due to ongoing Brexit uncertainty.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15569
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The latest ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) shows that business confidence has not fallen significantly this quarter.</p><p> </p><p>According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK economy picked up in the first three months of the year - Growth was 0.5% in the quarter, up from 0.2% in the previous three months. The employment rate (16-64) remained at 76.1%– at a record high. Employment increased by 99,000 on the quarter, standing at 32.7m – remaining broadly unchanged on the last labour market statistics release.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:08:29 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1125500

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	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	Fracking
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), in the event that any and all “other appropriate parties”, including other licensees or landowners, failed to decommission and return a fracking site to its former state, who would ultimately bear the financial burden.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
	uin	HL15595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>There is no precedent for the scenario above arising, in respect of hydraulically fractured wells in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has been clear that the responsibility for decommissioning lies with the licensee and has sought to reinforce this principle. For example, as set out in the Written Answer of 10 April (HL15067) that as part of the associated application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, the Government looks at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has been appropriately demonstrated.</p><p> </p><p>To date, there have only been two hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in the UK. The first, at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in Lancashire, has been fully decommissioned and the land restored to its previous use. The second, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road well-1z, is still operational.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:07:34 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

1125501

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	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	Fracking
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 April (HL15067), what assessment they have made of the potential liabilities for local authorities in the event that an operator and “other appropriate parties” do not decommission and return a fracking site to its former state.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
	uin	HL15596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>There is no precedent for hydraulically fractured shale gas well decommissioning costs being borne by local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has been clear that the responsibility for decommissioning lies with the licensee and has sought to reinforce this principle. For example, as set out in the Written Answer of 10 April (HL15067) that as part of the associated application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, the Government looks at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations, including their ability to fund decommissioning costs. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has been appropriately demonstrated.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Mineral Planning Authorities may require that bonds or other financial guarantees are taken to underpin a planning condition.</p><p> </p><p>To date, there have only been two hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in the UK. The first, at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in Lancashire, has been fully decommissioned and the land restored to its previous use. The second, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road well-1z, is still operational.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:08:10 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

1125844

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2019
	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	Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials
	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 safety of the use of decabromodiphenyl ethane in UK furniture; and what advice, if any, they have received from (1) the European Chemicals Agency, (2) the Health and Safety Executive, and (3) the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment on the risks of using decabromodiphenyl ethane.
	tabling member printed	The Countess of Mar
	uin	HL15634
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government is currently reviewing the operation of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and is taking account of evidence and advice from external sources such as academic papers as well as the views of experts from across government, including Chief Scientific Advisors.</p><p> </p><p>All furniture must also comply with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 and be safe before it can be placed on the market.</p><p> </p><p>DecaBDE is a persistent organic pollutant. The UK ceased production of this substance in 1996 and its use has declined sharply since then. Many other countries have also phased out its use. It was banned under the UN Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants in December 2018 and under the European chemical regulation regime, REACH, in March 2019. It will not be present in household soft furnishings and mattresses purchased after this ban comes into effect.</p><p> </p><p>Chemicals, including brominated flame retardants used in UK furniture, are regulated under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). REACH aims to provide a high level of protection for health and the environment from the use of chemicals including those used in products.</p><p> </p><p>In order to comply with REACH, companies must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. They have to demonstrate how the substances can be safely used, and they must communicate the risk management measures to the users. If the risks cannot be managed, authorities can ban or restrict the use of substances.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:06:25 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	1861 label Biography information for The Countess of Mar

1125850

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2019
	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	Takeovers: Conflict of Interests
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to undertake a review of the management of conflicts of interest arising when, in a contested takeover situation, institutional investors hold shares for clients, or under their own account, in both the bidder and target companies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Myners
	uin	HL15640
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>It is not uncommon for some investors to hold shares in both the bidder and target companies and rules mandated by the Financial Conduct Authority provide transparency to the market about share ownership. Takeover decisions are ultimately a matter for shareholders and the UK’s takeover rules require bidders to secure the approval of a majority of shareholders in the target company.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:06:53 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

1126299

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Business: Billing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 May (HL15375), what action, if any, they plan to take to penalise those companies who do not comply with the Prompt Payment Code; and whether this will include removing those companies from all Government tenders until such companies have demonstrated compliance.
	tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
	uin	HL15659
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Prompt Payment Code is a voluntary Code administered by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) on behalf of Government. Signatories to the Code sign up to pay 95% of invoices in 60 days, with an ambition to move toward 30-day payment terms. Signatories who do meet the standard are invited to submit a plan to CICM setting out clearly how they will improve their performance. Those who submit a satisfactory plan and subsequently demonstrate compliance are suspended from the Code and can be reinstated in the future. Those who do not engage with CICM, and fail to submit a plan, will be removed.</p><p>Starting in September this year, suppliers could be excluded from winning Government contracts if they fail to pay subcontractors on time. Under the new rules, suppliers who bid for government contracts above £5m per annum, who cannot show they are paying 95% of invoices within 60 days, risk being prevented from securing government contracts. We have contacted all suppliers reminding them of this initiative and their responsibilities on prompt payment.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:05:42 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

1126709

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	Social Science: Research
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they provided to universities in England for social science research in each of the last five years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mawson
	uin	HL15726
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy funds research primarily through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Within UKRI the main funders of social science research are the Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and Research England.</p><p> </p><p>The following table shows the value of research grants from AHRC and ESRC related to social science awarded to universities in England in each of the last five years. It also shows the notional allocation of Quality-related Research (QR) funding from Research England to the social sciences in universities in England over the past five years. QR funding is unhypothecated and individual institutions decide how it should be spent on research activities according to their own priorities.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Value of awarded grants (by Financial Year) £</strong></p></td><td><p><strong> QR allocation (by academic year) £</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/2015</p></td><td><p>153,738,462</p></td><td><p>270,300,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/2016</p></td><td><p>106,861,835</p></td><td><p>276,500,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/2017</p></td><td><p>181,616,983</p></td><td><p>279,000,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/2018</p></td><td><p>199,971,534</p></td><td><p>281,200,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/2019</p></td><td><p>247,678,306</p></td><td><p>291,300,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>While these are the primary funders of social science research, other research councils within UKRI provide funding for projects that involve a significant contribution from the social sciences. UKRI encourages interdisciplinary research, including the integration of social science components into other research programmes, when this adds value to the proposals.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:04:25 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	3830 label Biography information for Lord Mawson

1126730

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	Research: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help increase investment in UK research and development.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15747
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science to the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow on 27 March 2019 to Question 230812.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 20/05/2019 16:04:38 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1126326

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Ministry of Defence: Land
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken, if any, to make surplus Ministry of Defence land available to local authorities for the provision of affordable and social housing.
	tabling member printed	Lord Porter of Spalding
	uin	HL15686
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government ensures that local authorities have the opportunity to express an interest in surplus Ministry of Defence land.</p><p> </p><p>In accordance with Her Majesty’s Treasury guidelines, once a site is declared surplus to Defence purposes it is placed on the cross-Government database managed by the Office of Government Property within the Cabinet Office. This database provides an opportunity for other public bodies including local authorities to express an interest in acquiring sites before they are placed on the open market. Sites stay on the data base for 40 working days.</p><p> </p><p>Treasury guidelines state that transactions such as sales between Departments should generally be at full market value even if transferred to other public sector bodies (including publicly sponsored housing associations).</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 20/05/2019 16:48:14 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	4555 label Biography information for Lord Porter of Spalding

1126329

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Navy: Recruitment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to increase staff recruitment in the UK Royal Navy; and if so, what steps they are taking to increase skills and training of such staff.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15689
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>Plans are already in place to increase recruitment as part of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Personnel Recovery and Growth Programme.</p><p>All training delivered to Naval Service personnel, from recruitment and throughout their career, is regularly reviewed to maximise talent and ensure that people have the appropriate skills to allow the Navy to continue to meet their operational commitments.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 20/05/2019 16:47:24 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick