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1126737

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	Abdullah Öcalan
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey in relation to the Kurdish hunger strikers who are campaigning for the end of the solitary confinement in which the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is being held on the island of Imrali in contravention of European and international law.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
	uin	HL15754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>​The British Government has raised Mr Öcalan’s case with the Turkish authorities a number of times. The Minister for Europe and the Americas raised the issue most recently with the Turkish Ambassador on 13 May. While strongly condemning the ongoing violence perpetrated by the PKK, a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, we have encouraged the Turkish authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture following their visit to Imrali prison. In this regard, I welcome the fact that Mr Öcalan was granted access to two lawyers on 2 May. I also note the comment made by Mr Öcalan, via his lawyers, that individuals should not pursue these hunger strikes to the point of serious illness or death.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 21/05/2019 15:45:21 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

1127017

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Abortion: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to bring the law on abortion in Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK while there is no functioning Assembly in Northern Ireland.
	tabling member printed	Lord Steel of Aikwood
	uin	HL15778
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the sensitivities of this issue and the strongly held views on all sides of the debate in Northern Ireland and across the rest of the UK.</p><p> </p><p>As abortion is devolved, the best way forward is for locally accountable politicians in Northern Ireland to make decisions. We want to see devolved government restored at the earliest opportunity through the current political talks process.</p> answering member printed Lord Duncan of Springbank question first answered 24/05/2019 11:43:58 answering member 4686 label Biography information for Lord Duncan of Springbank
	tabling member	949 label Biography information for Lord Steel of Aikwood

1125860

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Airline Insolvency Review
	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 response from representatives of the aviation industry to the proposals outlined in the Airline Insolvency Review.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15650
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government has not made any assessment of the immediate response from the aviation industry to the Final Report from the independent Airline Insolvency Review, which was published on 9 May 2019.</p><p> </p><p>In the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS 1546) on the 9 May 2019, the Secretary of State for Transport noted that Government is considering the range of options put forward by the review and will work swiftly to introduce the reforms that are needed to ensure a strong level of consumer protection and value for money for the taxpayer. In doing so the Secretary of State also acknowledged a need to consider the challenges faced by the aviation sector.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State also indicated in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS 1546) on the 9 May 2019, that he would welcome views on the independent Airline Insolvency Review recommendations, including those from the aviation industry, as part of the ongoing consultation on Aviation 2050 and is encouraging stakeholders to respond by the 20 June 2019 when the consultation closes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 21/05/2019 14:13:16 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1124852

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Arson: Churches
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the number of, and circumstances behind, arson attacks on churches in (1) the UK, and (2) overseas, in the last two years; how many prosecutions there have been for such attacks in the UK; and what assessment they have made of the motives of those responsible.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL15527
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We have consulted Home Office, who do not hold detailed information for all police forces around the circumstances and location of offences. Detailed information on the location of arson offences, such as churches, may be held on court record but to be able to identify these cases, as they are not held centrally, we would have to access individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost. Matters relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for those respective devolved administrations.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 21/05/2019 16:16:04 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1127240

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Arts: Vocational Education
	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 businesses continue to have access to a workforce with sufficient creative and design-linked skills.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Blackstone
	uin	HL15793
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Our reforms to professional and technical education and apprenticeships are aimed at ensuring that people of all ages get access to the education and training that businesses across the sectors need.</p><p> </p><p>Both apprenticeships and T levels, when they are introduced, can be a valuable way of developing skills for the creative and design sectors.</p><p> </p><p>Employer-designed T levels will give students the skills needed to enter work or higher level technical study, helping young people to get a head-start in their potential careers. The first 3 T levels will be delivered in 2020, and we will confirm the timetable for the rollout of courses in creative and design before the end of this year.</p><p> </p><p>New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry – creating higher quality training that will lead to a more skilled and productive economy. There are 23 Creative and Design Apprenticeship Standards approved for delivery with 6 standards currently in development.</p><p> </p><p>The National College for Creative Industries, opened in September 2016, is one of 4 national colleges which we are establishing to set new standards for higher-level technical training.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 22/05/2019 15:40:22 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	3561 label Biography information for Baroness Blackstone

1125840

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 May (HLWS1504), whether they expect local authorities will offer extra placements to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC); and whether offers from individual British families to adopt or to foster UASC will be taken up.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL15630
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office recognises the highly valuable work that local authorities undertake in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and that is why we significantly increased the funding paid as a contribution to their costs. It is hoped that this will enable more local authorities to feel able to offer placements for vulnerable UASC, and we will be working with them and partners to encourage this.</p><p>It is unlikely that adoption will be an appropriate option for unaccompanied children. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, as well as other humanitarian charities, advise that no new adoption applications should be considered in the period after a disaster or fleeing from war. It is not uncommon for children in these circumstances to be temporarily separated from their parents or other family members who may be looking for them. Efforts to reunite children with relatives or extended family should therefore be given priority.</p><p>Foster parents are recruited by fostering services which include local authorities or independent fostering agencies. The decision to let someone foster a child, including UASC, is a very important one to get right. Anyone who wants to become a foster parent must undergo a full assessment and be approved by a fostering service before any child can be placed in their care. Regulations set out in detail the requirements of the approval process, including the information that must be collected in the assessment and the requirement for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. In 2013 Department for Education streamlined and strengthened the assessment and approval process for foster carers, introducing a two-stage process to ensure efficiency and transparency.</p><p>Existing foster parents may also be able to provide suitable homes for unaccompanied children and over the past two years the Department for Education has funded over 2000 training places for existing foster parents and support workers who wish to care for UASC, with places being prioritised for local authorities participating in the National Transfer Scheme.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/05/2019 15:45:23 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1126685

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Eritrea
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum claims were made in each of the past three years by Eritreans; whether more illegal migrants were smuggled into the UK last year from Eritrea than from any other country; and what assessment they have made of religious persecution in Eritrea as a driver of Eritrean migration.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL15702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data on the number of applications for asylum in the UK, broken down by nationality, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release. The number of applications made by Eritreans in each year are available in table as_01 (Main Applicants; Asylum, volume 1).</p><p>Latest edition available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781299/asylum1-dec-2018-tables.ods" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781299/asylum1-dec-2018-tables.ods</a></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong> Total applications </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1,230</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1,085</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2,158</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Home Office is unable to report on whether more illegal migrants were smuggled in to the UK last year from Eritrea than from any other country, as the method of entry for those who entered the UK clandestinely and subsequently claimed asylum, is recorded on individual Home Office files and to obtain this information would require a manual trawl and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.</p><p>All asylum and human rights applications from Eritrean nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of the latest available country of origin information and any relevant caselaw. The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eritrea-country-policy-and-information-notes" target="_blank">Country Policy and Information Note Eritrea: Religious groups</a> published in February 2018 (available on Gov.uk) outlines our position.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Eritrea_-_Religious_Groups_-_CPIN_-_v3.0.pdf title Eritea Religious Groups 2 file name Asylum1 -Dec 2018 Tables.xlsx title Asylum 1 - Dec 2018 Tables question first answered 24/05/2019 13:38:16 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1124892

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether funding currently dedicated to asylum matters will be ring-fenced following the UK's departure from the EU.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL15567
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to apply a ring fence to asylum payments in this financial year.</p><p>Any new restrictions to departmental spending would be agreed with HM Treasury. Any further changes would form part of the Spending Review discussions taking place this year for financial year 2020-21 onwards.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/05/2019 15:29:48 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

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

1126331

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Biometrics
	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 accuracy of facial recognition technology.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15691
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2019 answer text <p>Facial recognition is a fast evolving area of technology with the potential to streamline identity verification and authentication processes across Government and the private sector. When used in the appropriate setting and context, it has proved to be a very reliable and accurate tool.</p><p>Its performance is dependent on a number of variables, from the quality of the images, environmental factors, the specific algorithm used, the thresholds or risk profile applied and many other factors. Possible matches produced by LFR systems are always checked by a human operator before deciding what, if any, action to take.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/05/2019 12:18:24 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick