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1126175

	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: Brexit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in her Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	253469
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Four Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants remain augumenting in Other Government Departments as preparation for the UK to leave the EU. A total of 257 MOD civil servants were augmented to Other Government Departments including those who were augmented in support of Operation Yellowhammer. As at 14 May 2019, 253 had returned to the MOD.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/05/2019 15:10:08 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood previous answer version 119453 answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126301

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Sri Lanka: Terrorism
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian assistance they have sent, or intend to send, to the communities affected by the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
	uin	HL15661
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>​Sri Lanka has not requested humanitarian assistance. Following the Easter Sunday attacks, the Sri Lankan Government announced it would provide compensation for victims and fund the repair of the affected churches. The Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime, Ben Wallace, visited Sri Lanka on 2-3 May to demonstrate solidarity and discuss what UK support would be most helpful. Existing UK support in Sri Lanka includes £8.3 million of Conflict Stability and Security Fund funding over three years (2016-2019) to support police reform and training, reconciliation and peacebuilding, resettlement, interfaith dialogue and demining in the north of the country. We are also engaging with the Sri Lankan Government, faith and community leaders to encourage the Government to take all appropriate measures to reassure all of Sri Lanka's citizens that it will protect and uphold their safety and rights, and that its response to the attacks is proportionate and builds trust across all communities in Sri Lanka.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/05/2019 13:28:23 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

1126332

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banking Hubs: Competition
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to update competition law to allow for shared banking hubs in areas where local bank branches have been closed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15692
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Branch closures can be difficult for the communities affected and the Government pays close attention to this issue. However, the decision to close a branch is a commercial one for a firm, and Government does not intervene in those decisions.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government is equally clear that as banking providers seek to respond to technological advances and changes in customer behaviour, they must also consider carefully the needs of those who still rely on their local bank branch. Since May 2017, the major high street banks have been signed up to the Access to Banking Standard, which commits them to work with customers and communities to minimise the impact of branch closures and put in place alternative banking services.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also supports the Post Office Banking Framework Agreement which enables 99% of the UK’s personal and 95% of the UK’s small business customers to withdraw money, deposit cash and cheques and check balances at any one of the Post Office’s network of 11,500 branches.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>While banks do have to comply with competition law, there is no specific regulation that prevents banks from sharing branches or other premises where their strategies align. The Government therefore has no plans to update competition law on this basis. Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions, but will continue to encourage banks to think creatively about how they can ensure that consumers can access a wide range of banking services on a sustainable basis. For example, NatWest, Lloyds Bank and Barclays are trialling shared business banking hubs in 6 locations across the UK in the coming weeks.</p> answering member printed Lord Young of Cookham question first answered 22/05/2019 16:37:43 answering member 57 label Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1126327

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Festival UK* 2022: Local Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities on plans to hold a festival of innovation and creativity in 2022.
	tabling member printed	Lord Porter of Spalding
	uin	HL15687
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>We are in the early stages of planning the Festival. Any formal discussions with local authorities will be conducted by the appropriate delivery body in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 22/05/2019 13:25:50 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
	tabling member	4555 label Biography information for Lord Porter of Spalding

1126321

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Gender Dysphoria: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the results of the research project started in 2011 by the NHS Gender Identity Development Service Early pubertal suppression in a carefully selected group of adolescents with gender identity disorder; and if not, whether they will arrange for the data gathered by that study to be made available to other researchers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
	uin	HL15681
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The research is an ethically approved study being carried out by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust since 2011, which is the largest provider of services for the alleviation of gender dysphoria in the United Kingdom.</p><p>The study will evaluate early pubertal suppression in a carefully selected group of adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. There are 44 young people taking part in the study.</p><p>The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has plans to publish the data <ins class="ministerial">on the blocker and cross-sex hormones, for those who were appropriate for this, as</ins><del class="ministerial">once</del> all of the young people in the study have reached <ins class="ministerial">this</ins><del class="ministerial">the</del> stage<ins class="ministerial">.</ins> <del class="ministerial">when a clinical decision is made about moving from pubertal suppressants to cross-sex hormones, which the Trust expects to occur in the next 12 months.</del></p> answering member printed Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford question first answered 22/05/2019 14:51:30 question first ministerially corrected 31/07/2019 15:30:59 answering member 4019 label Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford previous answer version 119577 answering member printed Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford answering member 4019 label Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
	tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1126322

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Maintained Schools: Special Educational Needs
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of mainstream maintained schools in England offered Key Stage 4 alternatives to GCSEs, suitable for children with special educational, health or social care needs; how many children took such courses, in each of the last five years for which records are available; what are the most popular of those non-GCSE courses; and which organisations create them.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
	uin	HL15682
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>There is not a range of non-GCSE qualifications taught at key stage 4 designed specifically for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Pupils should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. The national curriculum inclusion statement states that teachers should set high expectations for every pupil, whatever their prior attainment. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious. Potential areas of difficulty should be identified and addressed at the outset. Lessons should be planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to pupil achievement. In many cases, such planning will mean that pupils with SEN and disabilities will be able to study the full national curriculum.</p><p> </p><p>The department holds information on entries to non-GCSE qualifications included in the school performance tables, analysis of which is provided below.</p><p> </p><p>The percentage of schools (mainstream[1]) with at least one pupil at the end of key stage 4[2] entering[3] non-GCSE qualifications[4], in each of the last 5 years, is shown in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2017/18[5]</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of mainstream schools</p></td><td><p>3,175</p></td><td><p>3,153</p></td><td><p>3,113</p></td><td><p>3,069</p></td><td><p>3,037</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Percentage of mainstream schools</p></td><td rowspan="3"><p>95</p></td><td rowspan="3"><p>97</p></td><td rowspan="3"><p>99</p></td><td rowspan="3"><p>99</p></td><td rowspan="3"><p>99</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>with at least one pupil entering</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>a non-GCSE qualification (%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>The percentage of mainstream school pupils entering at least one non-GCSE qualification, in each of the last 5 years, is shown in the table below:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pupil cohort</p></td><td><p>513,356</p></td><td><p>517,756</p></td><td><p>530,580</p></td><td><p>543,314</p></td><td><p>548,290</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Percentage of mainstream pupils who sat</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>40</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>52</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>72</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>71</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>68</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>at least one non-GCSE subject (%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Tables showing the 10 most entered non-GCSE qualifications in all state-funded mainstream schools are included in the attached spreadsheet.</p><p> </p><p>[1] State-funded mainstream schools include academies, free schools, city technology colleges and further education colleges with provision for 14 to 16 year olds. They exclude state-funded special schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision (AP) (including pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies as well as state-funded AP placements in other institutions).</p><p>[2] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.</p><p>[3] The department does not collect data on which qualifications are offered by schools, instead figures based on which qualifications have been entered by pupils has been used as a proxy. There may be some qualifications offered by a school that no pupils sat exams in for each year.</p><p>[4] Figures only include qualifications included in performance tables.</p><p>[5] 2017/18 figures are revised figures. All other figures are final figures.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 22/05/2019 14:24:26 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL15682_most_entered_non-GCSE_qualifications_mainstream_schools.xls title HL15682_Tables
	tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1126294

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Iraq: Christianity
	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 Bates on 5 February (HL13010), what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute of Development Studies The Persecution of Christians in the Middle East, published in 2017, that estimates that in 2003 there were approximately 1.5 million Christians in Iraq, and that in 2017 that number was between 200,000 and 250,000.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL15654
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>While we are unable to confirm the exact numbers, we are gravely concerned about the decline in the numbers of Christians in Iraq in recent years as also cited in the independent interim report of the Bishop of Truro into the Persecution of Christians. We assess that a number of factors have resulted in this decline, including conflict and insecurity in Iraq and the particular threat posed by Daesh. We continue to engage with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on the need to protect the rights of Christians and other religious minorities. However, during a recent meeting with the Iraqi Foreign Minister on the 17 May and the Archbishop of Erbil on 21 May I heard of the steps being taken to reopen churches and the increased number of church services being help in Iraq.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/05/2019 12:01:07 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1126297

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Pakistan: Blasphemy
	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 case of the Pakistani Christian woman, Shagufta Kauser, who, with her disabled husband, Shafqat Emmanuel, was sentenced to death in 2014, for allegedly sending blasphemous text messages, including reports that the couple are illiterate and that the messages were in English; and what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about this case.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL15657
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>​We are aware and are monitoring the case of Shagufta Kausar and her husband Shafqat Emmanuel. We remain deeply concerned about reports of discrimination against the Christian community and other religious minorities in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns about the misuse of the blasphemy laws with the government of Pakistan at a senior level.</p><p>I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, during my visit to Islamabad in February. The UK raised concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief at Pakistan's UN Universal Periodic Review of human rights in November 2017. We urged Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities from all faith communities.</p><p>The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. We have repeatedly called upon the Government of Pakistan to end capital punishment and, at a minimum, commit to publicly renewing the previously imposed moratorium on the death penalty.</p><p>We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee fully the rights of all Pakistani citizens, including religious minorities, and to honour its international obligations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/05/2019 13:27:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1126333

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Gaza: Israel
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the ecological damage caused by the recent escalation of hostilities in Gaza.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL15693
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>We have not made any assessment on this issue.​</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/05/2019 13:28:31 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

1126334

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Gaza: Israel
	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 damage caused by the recent escalation of hostilities in Gaza, in particular to public facilities and services, and electricity networks; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the loss of such facilities, services, and networks on the civilian population in Gaza.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
	uin	HL15694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The UK is gravely concerned by the recent escalation of hostilities in Gaza. We wholly condemn rocket fire by Hamas and other militants. The then acting Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, the Rt Hon. Mark Field MP, spoke to UN MEPP Coordinator Mladenov on 8 May where he welcomed the Egyptian and UN brokered ceasefire. We urge the parties to make progress towards a long-term agreement to ensure a durable solution for Gaza. We are concerned by damage to infrastructure in Gaza and the impact this has on the civilian population. The UK is supporting up to 1 million Gazans by addressing critical water and sanitation needs through £2 million to UNICEF. We have also announced £2 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross for medicines and surgical supplies.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/05/2019 13:29:21 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge