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147387

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action to ensure that the state pension is treated as a contributory pension and not a welfare benefit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
	uin	HL2791
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The state pension is based on the National Insurance contributions a person has paid or been credited with and it is paid out of the National Insurance Fund. The state pension is technically and legally a benefit and has been so since the 1946 National Insurance Act. The Government does not include the state pension in the Welfare Cap.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 17/11/2014 14:18:57 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

147378

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Cooperatives
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 15 September (HL1801), whether they are content with the regulatory protection afforded to members and creditors of cooperative societies; and whether they intend to review regulatory oversight of cooperative societies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Myners
	uin	HL2782
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the registrar for cooperatives and community benefit societies. It has no regulatory functions over societies which are not authorised to carry out financial services activities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On 6 April 2014, the government implemented a package of measures which introduced insolvency procedures for cooperative societies and gave the FCA additional powers to investigate societies suspected of improper or unlawful behaviour. These measures provide increased protection of members and creditors of cooperative societies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The government will keep the oversight of cooperatives and community benefit societies under review, but has no plans to undertake further reform of this area at the current time.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 24/11/2014 14:00:34 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

147388

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Public Expenditure
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when announcing new expenditure on grants to national and international organisations and programmes, they will state whether such expenditure is met through savings elsewhere or by borrowing; and, if the latter, whether they will state the source of the borrowing.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
	uin	HL2792
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The total level of government spending is set in advance through the Spending Review process. Spending within this envelope is adjusted at fiscal events. Spending is primarily funded through tax receipts, with any shortfall met by borrowing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The majority of borrowing is financed through the issuance of gilts Treasury bills. Additionally, the public can lend money to the Government through National Savings and Investments (NS&amp;I). The Treasury does not hold details on the holders of this debt.</p><p> </p><p>The government does not differentiate between these funding channels when meeting its obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 24/11/2014 14:29:40 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

147392

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banks: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the failure by nine European banks of the European Central Bank stress test.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL2796
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <p>The European Central Bank carried out a ‘Comprehensive Assessment’ of the banks which are now under its supervision. This identified 13 banks as needing to increase their aggregate capital by an estimated €9.5 billion.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Of these, four were in Italy (requiring €3.31 billion); two in Greece (€2.69 billion, but EU re-structuring plans means that essentially very little capital needs to be raised by them); two in Slovenia (€0.06 billion); one in Austria (€0.86 billion), Portugal (€1.15 billion), Cyprus (€0.18 billion), Ireland (€0.85 billion) and Belgium (€0.34 billion).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the same time, the European Banking Authority announced the results of its EU-wide stress test which comprised of a slightly different sample of banks.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A process is in place to help ensure that the banks which failed the stress tests will address their capital shortfalls in a timely way.</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>They are required to submit plans to their regulators on how they intend to address their shortfalls in the two weeks after disclosure of the results.</p></li><li><p>They will have between six and nine months to address capital shortfalls.</p><p> </p><p>The Treasury has worked with the Prudential Regulation Authority to examine the risks to the UK and estimate these to be very limited.</p></li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 20/11/2014 17:01:46 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

147395

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services: Fees and Charges
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action are they taking to ensure openness regarding fees in the financial services industry.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL2799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government is clear that consumers must be able to access clear and transparent information about the charges that may apply to financial services products easily.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In relation to current accounts, the Government reached an agreement in November 2011 with the major providers to enable customers to manage their account and to take action to avoid bank charges. Under the agreement, all customers have the option to receive text alerts where their balance falls below a certain level; are made aware by what time of day they can pay in funds in order to avoid going overdrawn; and, benefit from a buffer zone to ensure that they are not charged for going over their limit by a small amount.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government has also legislated to require the Financial Conduct Authority to cap the cost of payday loans, including fees and charges. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) created rules to effect the cap on 11 November.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>More generally, the FCA requires firms to be clear, fair and not misleading when giving information to consumers. The FCA is currently considering how key information about a product or service should best be communicated to consumers. This includes the fees and charges associated with financial products. The FCA will publish a discussion paper on this issue in the near future.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 20/11/2014 17:08:06 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

147348

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Roads: Safety
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government for how many years road safety audits are retained by the Highways Agency; and what is the minimum period that Transport for London and local highways authorities are required to keep them.
	tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
	uin	HL2752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Highways Agency follow an internal procedures manual that recommends that the Road Safety Audits they undertake should be retained for 30 years either from the date of the opening of the scheme, or following the completion of the final phase.</p><p> </p><p>In accordance with Transport for London’s document retention policy for Road Safety Audit reports and related information, these records must be retained for a period of 21 years from the date the report is issued. Local highway authorities will have their own individual processes for retention of Road Safety Audits.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 24/11/2014 14:39:22 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
	tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

147350

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Airports
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to couple any expansion of airport capacity with the carbon pricing mechanism proposed by the Davies Commission which aims to ensure that demand remains below the level that can be supplied by the new capacity across the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
	uin	HL2754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Coalition agreement rules out current airport expansion in the South East for the life of this Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure our long term connectivity needs can be met, this Government established the independent Airports Commission to identify and recommend to Government options for maintaining this country’s status as an international hub for aviation. Although options for expansion have been shortlisted by the Commission for further examination, its final recommendations are not due to be published until the summer of 2015.</p><p> </p><p>It will be for the Government of the day to consider the environmental impacts, including CO2 emissions, of any proposed expansion with reference to the Airports Commission’s recommendations.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 24/11/2014 14:35:12 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
	tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

147390

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	M1
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the M1 motorway is currently subject to roadworks reducing traffic speeds to 50 miles per hour; and how long any such roadworks will take to complete.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mawson
	uin	HL2794
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The percentage of the M1 currently subject to roadworks reducing traffic speeds to 50 mph is 25 percent.</p><p> </p><p>The table below provides details of the projects on the M1 which are currently under construction or are undertaking works that require a 50mph speed limit to be in place. It also advises when those speed limits will be removed, and where applicable, when the project is expected to complete.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Scheme</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Removal of 50mph speed restriction</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Publically committed scheme completion</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>M1 J19-16 smart motorway*</p></td><td><p>Summer 2015</p></td><td><p>Post 2015</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>M1 J19 improvement</p></td><td><p>Autumn 2016</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>M1 J28-31 smart motorway</p></td><td><p>Autumn 2015</p></td><td><p>2015</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>M1 J39-42 smart motorway</p></td><td><p>Autumn 2015</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>*The M1 J19-16 scheme is a project identified for delivery post 2015. The works currently being undertaken at this location are central barrier work, replacing the existing, life expired, steel central reserve with a concrete barrier. The Highways Agency will also take the opportunity to undertake some associated smart motorway enabling works at the same time in readiness for scheme start.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 24/11/2014 14:33:59 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
	tabling member	3830 label Biography information for Lord Mawson

147391

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	M1
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the British economy of roadworks on the M1 during 2014–15.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mawson
	uin	HL2795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text <p>The total estimated congestion cost for journeys through all road works on the M1 was £55 million for the five month period April to August 2014 (the most recent data available for financial year 2014/15).</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 19/11/2014 14:22:20 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
	tabling member	3830 label Biography information for Lord Mawson

147398

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Government Departments: Sick Leave
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees are currently on sick leave from the Northern Ireland Office for stress; and how that compares with the same period last year.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL2802
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Office currently has no employees on sick leave due to stress. There were no employees on sick leave due to stress in November 2013.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Randerson question first answered 18/11/2014 13:38:37 answering member 4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird