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1668141

	registered interest
	date	07/11/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	VAT: Registration
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the threshold for compulsory registration for VAT; and what plans they have to reinstate the policy of annually updating the threshold in line with inflation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL1
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2023 answer text <p>Views on the VAT registration threshold are divided and the case for change has been regularly reviewed over the years.</p><p>In 2018, the Government consulted on how the design of the VAT registration threshold could better incentivise growth. However, there was no clear option for reform.</p><p>While the Government keeps all taxes under review, it was announced at Autumn Budget 2022 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2026.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 21/11/2023 12:00:13 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1461012

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2022
	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	Statutory Sick Pay
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of people unable to claim statutory sick pay from their employer because their earnings are below the lower earnings level; of these, what proportion are (1) male and (2) female; and what plans, if any, they have to remove the lower earnings limit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL1
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>As set out in the 2019 “Health is Everyone’s Business” consultation, it is estimated that there are around 2 million employees who earn below the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and are therefore ineligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). Of those, approximately 30% are male and 70% are female.</p><p> </p><p>SSP reform, including extending SSP eligibility to those earning below the LEL, was part of the “Health is Everyone’s Business” consultation in 2019. In the response to the consultation published in 2021, Government stated the pandemic was not the right time to introduce changes to the rate of SSP or its eligibility criteria as this would have placed an immediate and direct cost on employers at a time where many were struggling.</p><p> </p><p>As we learn to live with Covid-19, the Government is continuing to take a broader look at the role of SSP and is keeping the system under review.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 24/05/2022 16:25:21 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1461021

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2022
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	East Africa: Droughts
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the East and Horn of Africa in preparing for future droughts by (1) building more resilient systems, and (2) ending exacerbating factors such as conflict.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL10
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>The UK is a major humanitarian donor to the East Africa region. In 2022 to support communities affected by drought plus flooding and conflict the UK has provided £72.25 million to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. Across the region UK funded humanitarian activities are making a difference and saving lives. For example, in Kenya to respond to the ongoing drought, 26,000 children will receive life-saving food assistance thanks to the UK's support. In Ethiopia a further 200,000 children and pregnant and lactating women in southern and eastern regions will receive similar urgent aid.</p><p>The UK also played a critical role in convening the recent 'UN Horn of Africa Drought Roundtable' which took place in late April in Geneva. This included working with states in the region and the UN to ensure appropriate levels of participation. It helped to bring much needed focus to the drought and importantly it mobilised roughly US$400 million in new funding.</p><p>Countries across the Horn of Africa will also be impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine due to the increase in the costs of food commodities and fuel on global markets. We are exploring how we can help lessen the impact of rising food prices caused by the war in Ukraine on vulnerable communities in East Africa. This includes assessing alternate markets for procurement of food supplies and working with UN partners to promote effective prioritisation so assistance reaches the most needy.</p><p>Our response to the drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya this includes support to the Hunger Safety Programme, which has provided 600,000 people in drought prone areas with regular financial assistance. In Ethiopia, the UK funded Productive Safety Net Programme has benefitted some 8 million people via financial welfare provision and community public works projects. In Somalia the UK has been supporting over 220 rural communities in three large urban cities with durable solutions initiatives for internally displaced persons. These programmes, coupled with additional investments, have enabled the UK to reach nearly 8 million individuals as a part of its emergency humanitarian response.</p><p>The UK remains committed to promoting peace and security across the Horn of Africa.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 24/05/2022 16:44:50 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1668063

	registered interest
	date	07/11/2023
	answering body	Department for Business and Trade
	answering dept id	214
	answering dept short name	Business and Trade
	answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
	hansard heading	Fireworks: Regulation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to ban the sale of domestic fireworks in England; and if not, whether they will undertake a consultation on that subject.
	tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
	uin	HL10
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2023 answer text <p>The majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner. There are enforcement mechanisms in place to tackle situations when fireworks are misused.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to ban the sale of domestic fireworks or consult on this matter at this current time.</p> answering member printed The Earl of Minto question first answered 13/11/2023 11:04:30 answering member 4952 label Biography information for The Earl of Minto
	tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1461100

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2022
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Rural Areas: Economic Situation
	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 APPG for Rural Business and Rural Powerhouse Levelling Up the Rural Economy: An Inquiry into rural productivity, published on 27 April.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL100
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>We welcome this report which highlights some of the key challenges for rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>We are providing funding to put in place the infrastructure that rural areas need. We are investing £5 billion so hard-to-reach areas can get gigabit speeds. Over 67% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband. The Government-led £1 billion Shared Rural Network will also roll out fast and reliable 4G coverage to 95 per cent of UK landmass.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to levelling up rural areas, with over £2.6 billion committed nationwide via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to spread opportunity.</p><p>The Government has made a clear commitment to rural proofing. We will publish the second annual Rural Proofing report following our Levelling Up White Paper which will set out the Government’s approach to levelling up in in rural areas and targeted approaches where needed to develop rural infrastructure services.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 24/05/2022 16:01:28 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1668662

	registered interest
	date	08/11/2023
	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	NHS: Staff
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Chief Executive of NHS England about the appropriateness of employing NHS staff who have supported calling for (1) a Jihad, or (2) the destruction of Israel.
	tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
	uin	HL100
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has not made representations to the Chief Executive of NHS England about the appropriateness of employing National Health Service staff who have supported calling for a Jihad, or the destruction of Israel.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 22/11/2023 12:42:18 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
	tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1470901

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Generation: Government Assistance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support members of the Windrush generation in their retirement.
	tabling member printed	Lord Randall of Uxbridge
	uin	HL1000
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2022 answer text <p>For people of State Pension age, there is a contributory State Pension based on an individual’s National Insurance record. It is supported by further measures for older people including Pension Credit which provides means-tested support for those most in need.</p><p>We are putting in place arrangements across Government to ensure where members of the Windrush generation have been denied access to employment because they were unable to demonstrate their lawful status, their National Insurance position is corrected so the period of the loss does not impact their State Pension entitlement.</p><p>Work on this issue is ongoing, and we continue to work with other government departments to finalise this area of work. As soon as arrangements are finalised, we will write again to explain what this will mean for affected individuals.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 29/06/2022 16:20:28 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	209 label Biography information for Lord Randall of Uxbridge

1676517

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2023
	answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept id	216
	answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
	hansard heading	Aerials: Highlands of Scotland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they have established for the siting of telecommunications masts across the Highlands of Scotland under the Shared Rural Network programme.
	tabling member printed	Lord Smith of Finsbury
	uin	HL1000
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2023 answer text <p>This Government has a responsibility to ensure all parts of the country are able to benefit from the opportunities provided by digital connectivity. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) intentionally has geographic targets in order to tackle this challenge, and ensure the programme remains focused on the most rural parts of the country.</p><p> </p><p>The exact site deployment plans for new masts under the SRN will be managed by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage targets for the programme.</p><p> </p><p>The MNOs continue to work closely with local communities and planning authorities to ensure new masts go through the proper planning process and are considerate to areas of natural beauty. Planning authorities are responsible for approving applications which form part of the SRN programme and publicly funded masts will be shared by all four MNOs to minimise the impact on the environment.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose grouped question UIN HL1001 question first answered 19/12/2023 13:48:44 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
	tabling member	186 label Biography information for Lord Smith of Finsbury

1659265

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	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	Poverty
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Poverty Strategy Commission’s interim report A New Framework for Tackling Poverty, published on 5 September, and in particular the recommendations that a net rise in benefit awards by 5 per cent would reduce numbers in poverty by 725,000 and a net rise in earnings wound reduce poverty by 515,000.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Southwark
	uin	HL10000
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2023 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has not undertaken any specific assessment but notes that the analysis included in the report is based on the Social Metric Commission’s (SMC) measure of poverty.</p><p> </p><p>The Government accepts that the SMC’s approach offers a more expansive view of inescapable costs, and alternative income sources will add new insight to the understanding of poverty. In March 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions announced plans to resume work developing an experimental measure of poverty based on the SMC’s innovative work. The Government already publishes national statistics on low income using a range of measures.</p><p>The Government’s focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress in work. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.  The latest statistics show that working age adults living in workless households were over 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in households where all adults work. To help people into work our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. We are also addressing progression barriers through our comprehensive package of childcare support, our in work progression offer, and changes to the administrative earnings threshold which ensure that more claimants can benefit from work coach support.</p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills. From April 2023, everyone who receives a state benefit or pension will have seen their benefit rates increase by 10.1%.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/09/2023 12:43:54 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark

1659266

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Housing: Greater London
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support London Councils who have reported a 120 per cent rise in requests by landlords for return of properties used as temporary homes and a 41 per cent reduction in the number of properties available for private rental since 2020.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Southwark
	uin	HL10001
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2023 answer text <p>This Government is investing over £1 billion into the Homelessness Prevention Grant between 2022 and 2025. In London, this includes over £350 million for 2023/24 and 2024/25 which funds local authorities to offer financial support for people to find a new home or to work with landlords to prevent evictions, among other preventative measures, or to provide temporary accommodation where needed.</p> answering member printed Baroness Swinburne question first answered 21/09/2023 16:35:38 answering member 4985 label Biography information for Baroness Swinburne
	tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark