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156482

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the position of the government of the Republic of Ireland in respect of disregarding monies paid under its scheme to compensate sufferers of abuse in the Magdalene laundries and other institutions for the purposes of calculating benefits, why such payments are not disregarded, as a consequence of being made in response to a personal injury, in relation to benefits otherwise payable to such sufferers resident in the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
	uin	HL2924
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government has sympathy for the women who suffered by their admission to and work in the Magdalen institutions. However, payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s <em>ex gratia</em> scheme do not meet GB legal criteria to be treated as personal injury payments. The payments are not being made ‘in consequence of any personal injury’, but are made in consequence of being admitted to a laundry, regardless of the effects. The amount each woman will receive is dependent on the length of time spent in the laundries and not on the specific effect that it has had on their health. They are also being made as part of a broader process of restorative justice by the Republic of Ireland Government.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to amend GB income-related benefit legislation to include specific disregards along the lines of the schemes mentioned. There is already provision in the benefit system to disregard payments made in respect of personal injury to avoid the need to disregard specific payments on an <em>ad hoc</em> basis. To amend legislation as new compensation schemes are introduced would add complexity to the benefit system and its administration.</p><p> </p><p>There is already provision in legislation to disregard some elements of the <em>ex gratia </em>payments. For example, Pension Credit – the income-related benefit most likely to be claimed - has no capital cut off limit. Where compensation in excess of the €50,000 lump sum maximum <em>ex gratia</em> award is payable as weekly payments, these will be disregarded under current Pension Credit and pension age Housing Benefit legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that as of 6 August 2014 there had been a total number of approximately 760 applications to the scheme, around 160 of which were from UK residents. However, neither information regarding the number of UK applicants who are also in receipt of Pension Credit or other benefits, nor the amount of any <em>ex gratia</em> payments made is available. We are therefore unable to estimate the potential cost of a disregard.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2925 HL2926 question first answered 24/11/2014 14:37:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

156483

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of potential applicants for United Kingdom benefits who have received compensation for abuse in the Magdalene laundries and other institutions under the scheme established by the government of the Republic of Ireland; and what is their estimate of the cost which would arise from a disregard being applied to such applications.
	tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
	uin	HL2925
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has sympathy for the women who suffered by their admission to and work in the Magdalen institutions. However, payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s <em>ex gratia</em> scheme do not meet GB legal criteria to be treated as personal injury payments. The payments are not being made ‘in consequence of any personal injury’, but are made in consequence of being admitted to a laundry, regardless of the effects. The amount each woman will receive is dependent on the length of time spent in the laundries and not on the specific effect that it has had on their health. They are also being made as part of a broader process of restorative justice by the Republic of Ireland Government.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to amend GB income-related benefit legislation to include specific disregards along the lines of the schemes mentioned. There is already provision in the benefit system to disregard payments made in respect of personal injury to avoid the need to disregard specific payments on an <em>ad hoc</em> basis. To amend legislation as new compensation schemes are introduced would add complexity to the benefit system and its administration.</p><p> </p><p>There is already provision in legislation to disregard some elements of the <em>ex gratia </em>payments. For example, Pension Credit – the income-related benefit most likely to be claimed - has no capital cut off limit. Where compensation in excess of the €50,000 lump sum maximum <em>ex gratia</em> award is payable as weekly payments, these will be disregarded under current Pension Credit and pension age Housing Benefit legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that as of 6 August 2014 there had been a total number of approximately 760 applications to the scheme, around 160 of which were from UK residents. However, neither information regarding the number of UK applicants who are also in receipt of Pension Credit or other benefits, nor the amount of any <em>ex gratia</em> payments made is available. We are therefore unable to estimate the potential cost of a disregard.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2924 HL2926 question first answered 24/11/2014 14:37:33 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

156484

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to amend the relevant regulations to include specific disregards for payments to compensate sufferers of abuse in the Magdalene laundries and other institutions for the purposes of calculating benefits along the lines of those established for the McFarlane (Special Payments) Trusts, MFET Limited, the Skipton Fund and the Caxton Foundation; and if not, why not.
	tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
	uin	HL2926
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has sympathy for the women who suffered by their admission to and work in the Magdalen institutions. However, payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s <em>ex gratia</em> scheme do not meet GB legal criteria to be treated as personal injury payments. The payments are not being made ‘in consequence of any personal injury’, but are made in consequence of being admitted to a laundry, regardless of the effects. The amount each woman will receive is dependent on the length of time spent in the laundries and not on the specific effect that it has had on their health. They are also being made as part of a broader process of restorative justice by the Republic of Ireland Government.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to amend GB income-related benefit legislation to include specific disregards along the lines of the schemes mentioned. There is already provision in the benefit system to disregard payments made in respect of personal injury to avoid the need to disregard specific payments on an <em>ad hoc</em> basis. To amend legislation as new compensation schemes are introduced would add complexity to the benefit system and its administration.</p><p> </p><p>There is already provision in legislation to disregard some elements of the <em>ex gratia </em>payments. For example, Pension Credit – the income-related benefit most likely to be claimed - has no capital cut off limit. Where compensation in excess of the €50,000 lump sum maximum <em>ex gratia</em> award is payable as weekly payments, these will be disregarded under current Pension Credit and pension age Housing Benefit legislation.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that as of 6 August 2014 there had been a total number of approximately 760 applications to the scheme, around 160 of which were from UK residents. However, neither information regarding the number of UK applicants who are also in receipt of Pension Credit or other benefits, nor the amount of any <em>ex gratia</em> payments made is available. We are therefore unable to estimate the potential cost of a disregard.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2924 HL2925 question first answered 24/11/2014 14:37:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

156489

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Defence: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ring-fence defence spending in future budget settlements.
	tabling member printed	Lord Empey
	uin	HL2931
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government has set departmental budgets for the remainder of this Parliament, however no departmental budgets are set beyond 2015-16. The Government is committed to ensuring we have properly funded Armed Forces. The UK continues to be the second biggest contributor to NATO, and is committed to growing the Defence equipment programme at 1 percent above inflation each year until 2020-21.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 02/12/2014 16:41:34 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

156491

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will agree the final financial allocations to the Northern Ireland Executive for 2015–16; and when access will be granted to the Departmental Expenditure Limit reserve of up to £100 million.
	tabling member printed	Lord Empey
	uin	HL2933
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>The Treasury has already set out Northern Ireland Executive allocations for 2015-16, as determined at Spending Round 2013 and amended at subsequent Budgets and Autumn Statements. Final revisions to Northern Ireland Executive allocations for 2015-16 will be set out at the Supplementary Estimates round in January 2016.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Northern Ireland Executive has been granted exceptional access to the DEL Reserve of up to £100m in 2014-15. In granting this access, the Chancellor of the Exchequer specified that an equivalent amount would be deducted from the Executive’s 2015-16 allocations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL2934 question first answered 02/12/2014 16:40:43 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

156492

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the final financial allocations to the Northern Ireland Executive for 2015–16 for both Resource and Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit in circumstances where access is given for up to £100 million of loans to the Northern Ireland Executive.
	tabling member printed	Lord Empey
	uin	HL2934
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>The Treasury has already set out Northern Ireland Executive allocations for 2015-16, as determined at Spending Round 2013 and amended at subsequent Budgets and Autumn Statements. Final revisions to Northern Ireland Executive allocations for 2015-16 will be set out at the Supplementary Estimates round in January 2016.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Northern Ireland Executive has been granted exceptional access to the DEL Reserve of up to £100m in 2014-15. In granting this access, the Chancellor of the Exchequer specified that an equivalent amount would be deducted from the Executive’s 2015-16 allocations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL2933 question first answered 02/12/2014 16:40:43 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

156467

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Offences against Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the outcome of the meeting held with the NSPCC on 14 November to discuss the Serious Crime Bill.
	tabling member printed	Lord Harris of Haringey
	uin	HL2909
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The meeting between Government officials, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Police and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to discuss the case for criminalising sexual communications with a child was constructive.</p><p>As my Rt Hon friend the Home Secretary indicated during Home Office oral questions on 17 November (House of Commons, official report, column 17), we will complete our consideration of the case for a new offence in good time to enable an amendment to be tabled to the Serious Crime Bill in the House of Commons should the Government decide to do so.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 03/12/2014 16:47:02 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
	tabling member	2671 label Biography information for Lord Harris of Haringey

156493

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Marriage: Humanism
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their legislative plans to allow humanist marriages now that the public consultation is closed.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
	uin	HL2935
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government is carefully considering the analysis of the responses we have received and the implications for marriage law and practice if a change were to be made to legislation. We plan to publish the Government’s response to the review by 1 January 2015.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 26/11/2014 13:17:08 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
	tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

156488

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	UN High Commissioner for Refugees
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom will be represented at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Ministerial pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
	uin	HL2930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The UK will be represented at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Pledging Conference on 9 December 2014.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 01/12/2014 16:11:55 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

156499

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Malawi
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the end-of-year spending totals by programme for Official Development Assistance to Malawi in the financial years 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, and 2013–14.
	tabling member printed	Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
	uin	HL2941
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>The table below shows total amounts for each year:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Year</strong></td><td><strong>£ Thousands</strong></td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>£71, 512</td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>£95,848</td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>£64,915</td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>£124,253</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>£113,375</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 02/12/2014 15:04:40 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	4168 label Biography information for Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale