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177290

registered interest
date	03/02/2015
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Right to Buy Scheme
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 Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 January concerning the Right to Buy scheme (HL4050), how many social housing units were lost to provide the £600 million; how many will be provided from that money; what consideration they have given to the wider fairness of offering property at a discount to those who have already enjoyed a social housing tenancy; and whether Stamp Duty on such sales is levied at full market value or on the discounted value.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL4657
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>The Government is committed to helping tenants achieve their home ownership aspirations. The Right to Buy Scheme has helped almost 2 million households to enjoy the benefits of home ownership, including greater independence, and the security of owning a valuable asset.</p><p> </p><p>Over £600 million has been generated from 14,731 additional Right to Buy sales since the policy was reinvigorated in April 2012. All but two stock holding authorities have entered into agreements with the Government to replace that stock on a one-for-one basis within three years, and any one-for-one receipts not used by authorities will be returned to the Homes and Communities Agency or the Greater London Authority for investment in new affordable housing.</p><p> </p><p>Stamp Duty is worked out as a percentage of the price the tenant pays for a property. Information on Stamp Duty can be obtained from: <a href="http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sdlt/intro/rates-thresholds.htm" target="_blank">www.hmrc.gov.uk/sdlt/intro/rates-thresholds.htm</a></p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 10/02/2015 16:13:23 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

176654

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Trade Agreements
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 reasons for differences in the number of free trade agreements which include services entered into by the European Union and Switzerland respectively; and what plans they have to address the difference.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL4563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>Switzerland and the European Union have entered into a significant number of free trade agreements. Switzerland has around 30 FTAs and the EU approximately 50. Services have been included in some of these agreements but not all.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK Government is a strong supporter of the inclusion of Services in free trade agreements, because it creates a more stable and transparent trading and investment environment for UK companies to export their Services to trading partner markets. This is why Services form a strong component in our modern trade agreements such as with Canada, Korea and Singapore. It will also feature strongly in the EU’s upcoming agreements with Vietnam and the United States (TTIP). Many of these agreement are very ambitious covering areas often not included in traditional agreements and reflecting the range of trade carried out by the EU.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The EU is committed to the inclusion on Services in its negotiations and has fully supported the establishment of the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). The agreement is solely based on Services and derived from a concerted push by the services industry. TiSA is based on the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which involves all WTO members. More information on TiSA can be found on the following website <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/tisa/" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/tisa/</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 10/02/2015 17:07:38 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

176655

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	EU External Trade
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, in the light of Singapore’s conclusion by 2005 of free trade agreements which include services with Japan, the United States, India and China, of the reasons why the European Union has not entered into such agreements with those countries.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL4564
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>The European Union is currently negotiating free trade agreements with Japan, the United States, India (currently at a standstill) and an investment agreement with China. Each of these negotiations includes services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For the EU, trade in services is of strategic importance. The sector accounts for some three-quarters of EU gross domestic product (GDP) and of EU jobs. Liberalising trade in services will be an important component of the EU negotiations with Japan and the United States.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The EU is committed to the inclusion of services in its free trade agreements. In the investment agreement with China, the EU is addressing market access issues relating to services and it is hoped that the India FTA negotiations will resume. In the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement (TTIP) between the EU and US, better market access for services is one of the top priorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In recognising the importance of trade in services negotiations the EU is also taking an active role in the Trade in Services (TiSA) negotiations. TiSA is based on the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which involves all WTO members.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>More information on TiSA can be found on the following website <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/tisa/" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/tisa/</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Livingston of Parkhead question first answered 10/02/2015 17:11:27 answering member 4278 label Biography information for Lord Livingston of Parkhead
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

176255

registered interest
date	28/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Nuclear Submarines
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report in the<i> Scottish Daily Mail</i> on 28 January, whether they have considered moving Britain's nuclear armed submarines from Scotland to Wales.
tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
uin	HL4513
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>The UK Government is not considering moving the strategic nuclear deterrent to Wales. Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde will become the Royal Navy's Submarine Centre of Specialisation, and home to all Royal Navy submarines by 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 10/02/2015 16:14:10 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

175860

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
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	Burma
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the remarks of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Yangjee Lee, on the "significant human rights concerns" of Burma’s new laws and her warning that they would "legalise discrimination, in particular against religious and ethnic minorities and against women".
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4440
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>We strongly support the mandate and work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma, Yanghee Lee. While her full report has not yet issued, we share her concerns about the proposed so-called protection of race and religion bills. Like her, we have concerns about the discriminatory effect these laws could have in Burma, particularly for religious and other minority groups and women, were they to be enacted. We have voiced our concerns over this proposed legislation to members of the Burmese government and parliamentarians. Most recently, Minister of State at the Home Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), raised the issue when she met Deputy Foreign Minister Thant Kyaw during her visit to Burma in January. The UK also endorsed a statement issued by EU Heads of Mission in Rangoon in January reiterating those concerns and calling on the Burmese government and parliament to ensure that all new legislation is fully compliant with Burma’s international human rights obligations.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, the British Government deplores the hateful and abusive language used by a prominent monk against Ms Lee following her recent visit. Such sexist abuse and intimidation of human rights defenders emphasises the need for the Burmese government to increase its efforts to strengthen respect for universal human rights and tackle hate speech. We call on the Ministry of Religious Affairs to act on the matter.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 10/02/2015 17:52:09 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

175861

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Fertility: Drugs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 14 July 2014 (HC Deb, col 448W), by Earl Howe on 2 December 2014 (HL2907) and by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, George Freeman, on 14 January 2015 (HC220047), which body is responsible for regulating the administration of drugs used in fertility treatment; which fertility clinics in the United Kingdom are known to have administered drugs to patients when the corresponding drugs have not yet been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), regardless of whether or not the clinics concerned have been licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA); which clinics in the United Kingdom that have been licensed by the HFEA are known to have administered reagents to permitted gametes or permitted embryos that are then introduced into patients when the reagents concerned have not otherwise been licensed by the MHRA for clinical use; how either the HFEA or the MHRA would be kept aware of all such instances; what the regulatory consequences are in each case; which body is responsible for collecting data regarding the effects of particular dosages on the welfare of the developing child and the health of the mother; and whether such data are collected on a case by case basis or as part of a clinical trial.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4441
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the Government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the United Kingdom.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Under their terms of service, general practitioners and hospital doctors are allowed to prescribe any medicinal product, including any unlicensed medicinal product, in order to meet special clinical need (subject to any local funding arrangements). They should always satisfy themselves that the medicinal products, or other substances they consider appropriate for their patients, can be safely prescribed, that patients are adequately monitored and that, where necessary, expert hospital supervision is available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The administration of medicinal products to patients undergoing fertility treatment is a matter of clinical judgment by the treating clinician. It is not regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Guideline <em>Fertility, Assessment and treatment for people with fertility</em> problems provides guidance for healthcare professionals on the use of such products, including those used for ovarian stimulation. The HFEA has advised that it does not collect information on the identity of medicinal products used in treatment.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The HFEA is aware of some clinics that have administered reagents to permitted gametes or permitted embryos that are then introduced into patients when the reagents concerned have not been CE marked. Such instances are identified by sample audits conducted during the course of inspection and documented in the report of the inspection.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Although the HFEA does not hold information on the effects of particular dosages on the welfare of the developing child and the health of the mother, the HFEA expects clinics to do such monitoring as part of their licensing conditions.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 10/02/2015 17:27:13 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

175862

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	IVF
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 January 2015 (HL4064), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not consider that discussion of genetic modification, as it might be considered to apply to the creation of human admixed embryos, can usefully add to the debate on the definition of genetic modification in humans; whether the basis for the HFEA’s particular position is legal, scientific, doctrinal, ideological or pecuniary; whether the HFEA is capable of distinguishing between human embryos that have been genetically modified or not; if so, why it is unable to determine whether the generation of any human admixed embryos as defined under section 4A(6)(a) to (c) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 would constitute genetic modification; and if not, how the HFEA is able to regulate such manipulation of human embryos.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>We are advised that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not believe that discussion of genetic modification, as it might be considered to apply to the creation of human admixed embryos, can usefully add to the debate on the definition of genetic modification in humans. This is because the current debate relates to the use of human eggs and embryos, which might be permitted for use in treatment, which would not involve the use of animal DNA, eggs or embryos.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The HFEA has also advised that the regulatory framework enables the Authority to provide appropriate oversight of all embryos used in treatment and research.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 10/02/2015 17:25:40 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

175863

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	IVF
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 26 January 2015 (HL4063 and HL4228), how members of the Expert Panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) were assured that the children were genetically normal in the absence of any further information when the published abstract only referred to a "normal karyotype" and there was no "data concerned" further to support this; whether each of the mitochondrial diseases listed in Annex D of the Department of Health’s consultation document entitled "Mitochondrial Donation" is associated with an abnormal karyotype; whether they will place in the Library of the House a full copy of the correspondence between the member of the HFEA’s Expert Panel and the Zhang research group; if not, why not; and on what date or dates the correspondence was shared with all other members of the HFEA’s Expert Panel.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4443
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>I have nothing further to add to the answers given previously on the subject of the published abstract of the Zhang research group.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>We are advised that all of the mitochondrial diseases listed in the consultation document are due to point mutations or deletions and thus there is a normal karyotype.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 10/02/2015 17:27:29 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

175870

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Vulnerable Adults
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that support is made available for vulnerable defendants by registered intermediaries in the criminal justice system, as currently is the case for vulnerable witnesses.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL4450
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that all defendants receive a fair trial. We are currently considering formalising the provision of intermediaries for vulnerable defendants. It should be noted that, as well as a variety of measures currently available to courts to ensure a fair trial, if necessary, the Judiciary can already grant the use of an intermediary to assist vulnerable defendants. <br></p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 10/02/2015 17:56:21 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

175881

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Welfare Tax Credits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many tax credit recipients have received an administrative penalty relating to overpayments in each of the past four years.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL4461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p>The following table outlines the number of tax credit claims that have been subject to a penalty in each of the past four years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Penalties applied in period</p></td><td><p>Tax credit claims subject to a civil penalty</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>15,182</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>8,020</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>2,769</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>1,932</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 10/02/2015 17:44:56 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow