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392041

registered interest
date	22/07/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum Support (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2015
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the basis of their assessment in the Explanatory Memorandum for the Asylum Support (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2015 that the current payment methodology by which additional cash payments are made for each child under the age of 18 "provides more than enough to cover the needs of individual children".
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL1796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>Asylum seekers, including dependants of asylum seekers, who are destitute are provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover their “essential living needs” - the legal test. The level of the allowance is kept under regular review.</p><p>The most recent review of asylum support payments earlier this year looked at data spending on essential items by the lowest decile (10%) income group in the UK taken from the latest report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on Family Spending published on 2 December 2014. Other data from the study, specifically in relation to spending by households with children, was also reviewed. In addition, research was undertaken into the actual costs of particular essential items, including the cost of food stuffs, clothing, toiletries, household cleaning stuffs and non-prescription medication, as well as travel and communications.</p><p>Whilst the ONS data is useful in identifying levels of spending on particular items, it does not provide the definition of “essential living items”. This is provided for in international and domestic legislation, most notably the EU Reception Conditions Directive 2003, Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Nationality Act 1999 and the Asylum support Regulations 2000. In addition, guidance in respect of which specific items could be considered as essential was provided by Justice Popplewell in his 2014 judgement in respect of the Refugee Action challenge to the Asylum Support Rates.</p><p>The Government has no plans to publish minutes of meetings held with external partners or to share more widely papers provided by them which were considered in the review. Despite the planned reduction in the rate, the payments are still sufficient to meet the essential needs of asylum seekers and their families. Those affected were notified of the changes by letter, sent out on Thursday 16 July, which provided more than 3 weeks notice of the intended reduction in their payments.</p><p>The adequacy of the payment rates will be kept under review through the annual review cycle and in line with the statutory test to ensure that the right level of support is provided to asylum seekers and their families.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL1797 HL1798 HL1799 HL1800 question first answered 30/07/2015 13:56:37 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

392042

registered interest
date	22/07/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum Support (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2015
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish the results of discussions with members of the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum and of the coalition "Still Human Still Here", as referred to in the Explanatory Memorandum for the Asylum Support (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2015.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL1797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>Asylum seekers, including dependants of asylum seekers, who are destitute are provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover their “essential living needs” - the legal test. The level of the allowance is kept under regular review.</p><p>The most recent review of asylum support payments earlier this year looked at data spending on essential items by the lowest decile (10%) income group in the UK taken from the latest report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on Family Spending published on 2 December 2014. Other data from the study, specifically in relation to spending by households with children, was also reviewed. In addition, research was undertaken into the actual costs of particular essential items, including the cost of food stuffs, clothing, toiletries, household cleaning stuffs and non-prescription medication, as well as travel and communications.</p><p>Whilst the ONS data is useful in identifying levels of spending on particular items, it does not provide the definition of “essential living items”. This is provided for in international and domestic legislation, most notably the EU Reception Conditions Directive 2003, Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Nationality Act 1999 and the Asylum support Regulations 2000. In addition, guidance in respect of which specific items could be considered as essential was provided by Justice Popplewell in his 2014 judgement in respect of the Refugee Action challenge to the Asylum Support Rates.</p><p>The Government has no plans to publish minutes of meetings held with external partners or to share more widely papers provided by them which were considered in the review. Despite the planned reduction in the rate, the payments are still sufficient to meet the essential needs of asylum seekers and their families. Those affected were notified of the changes by letter, sent out on Thursday 16 July, which provided more than 3 weeks notice of the intended reduction in their payments.</p><p>The adequacy of the payment rates will be kept under review through the annual review cycle and in line with the statutory test to ensure that the right level of support is provided to asylum seekers and their families.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL1796 HL1798 HL1799 HL1800 question first answered 30/07/2015 13:56:37 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

392046

registered interest
date	22/07/2015
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Ministry of Defence: Public Bodies
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what organisations have been established in the last five years by the Ministry of Defence that are wholly funded from within its budget; and which of those are not subject to civil service pay scales, terms or conditions, and why.
tabling member printed	Lord Moonie
uin	HL1801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has set up two arm's length organisations in the last five years that are wholly funded from within its budget.</p><p>Defence Equipment and Support was set up as a bespoke trading entity on 1 April 2014. It has a number of freedoms and flexibilities to manage its own business, outputs and workforce within an operating cost envelope set to drive significant efficiencies. This includes the freedom to implement its own pay and grading structures to reflect the highly specialised labour market in which it operates.</p><p>The Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) was established by the Defence Reform Act (DRA) 2014. The SSRO is wholly funded from within the MOD budget, via grant-in-aid. SSRO employees are not subject to civil service pay scales, terms and conditions. The DRA specifies that SSRO employees are not in the civil service of the state, ensuring the independent discharge of their duties.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 30/07/2015 13:45:27 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	621 label Biography information for Lord Moonie

392049

registered interest
date	22/07/2015
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Defence: Inflation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of defence inflation over the next five years.
tabling member printed	Lord Moonie
uin	HL1804
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence does not produce future forecasts of defence inflation. Historic figures can be found in the 2013/14 Defence Inflation Estimate, attached here for convenience.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 30/07/2015 13:46:20 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe attachment 1 file name 20150129_Defence_Inflation_Statistical_Notice-201314-O.pdf title Defence Inflation Estimate
tabling member	621 label Biography information for Lord Moonie

391993

registered interest
date	21/07/2015
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Mediterranean Sea: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what Ministry of Defence costs in respect of naval operations concerning migrants in the Mediterranean are currently being funded by the Department for International Development.
tabling member printed	Lord Moonie
uin	HL1756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>The Department for International Development is not providing funding for current Ministry of Defence naval operations concerning migrants in the Mediterranean.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 30/07/2015 13:44:16 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	621 label Biography information for Lord Moonie

391288

registered interest
date	20/07/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Middle East: British Nationals Abroad
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British nationals are estimated to have travelled abroad to Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups since October 2014; how many have since returned to the United Kingdom; and what is the total number of such people who remain in Syria.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL1648
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>Around 700 people who are of concern to the Police and Security Services are thought to have travelled to the region since the start of the conflict. We estimate that around half of those have returned.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 30/07/2015 13:41:57 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

391297

registered interest
date	20/07/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Government Departments: Telephone Services
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 O’Neill of Gatley on 9 July (HL898), what training in communication skills is provided for the officials in (1) HM Revenue and Customs, (2) the Home Office, (3) the Ministry of Justice, (4) the Department for Work and Pensions, and (5) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, who are responsible for helping members of the public who telephone with complaints or requests for information.
tabling member printed	Lord Quirk
uin	HL1653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>All new HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) telephony advisers receive two days of call handling soft skills training, prior to handling customer calls. Further call handling training is provided depending on the needs of the advisor.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first escalation for complaints from an adviser is to a Team Leader. 80 per cent of complaints are successfully handled at this point.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC’s Personal Tax Operations has a specific team who deal with customer complaints received via telephone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC has a target of answering 80 per cent of all calls received.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information regarding the training and performance on telephony issues for other Government Departments is not held centrally and should be obtained from the Departments concerned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord O'Neill of Gatley grouped question UIN HL1654 question first answered 30/07/2015 13:33:52 answering member 4536 label Biography information for Lord O'Neill of Gatley
tabling member	3254 label Biography information for Lord Quirk

391298

registered interest
date	20/07/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Government Departments: Telephone Services
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 O’Neill of Gatley on 9 July (HL898), whether there are target times by which calls from members of the public are expected to receive attention when telephoning (1) HM Revenue and Customs, (2) the Home Office, (3) the Ministry of Justice, (4) the Department for Work and Pensions, and (5) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
tabling member printed	Lord Quirk
uin	HL1654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>All new HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) telephony advisers receive two days of call handling soft skills training, prior to handling customer calls. Further call handling training is provided depending on the needs of the advisor.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first escalation for complaints from an adviser is to a Team Leader. 80 per cent of complaints are successfully handled at this point.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC’s Personal Tax Operations has a specific team who deal with customer complaints received via telephone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC has a target of answering 80 per cent of all calls received.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information regarding the training and performance on telephony issues for other Government Departments is not held centrally and should be obtained from the Departments concerned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord O'Neill of Gatley grouped question UIN HL1653 question first answered 30/07/2015 13:33:52 answering member 4536 label Biography information for Lord O'Neill of Gatley
tabling member	3254 label Biography information for Lord Quirk

391346

registered interest
date	20/07/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Biometrics
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 Bates on 16 July (HL1344), in the light of the fact that some police forces, including the Metropolitan Police Service, have stopped adding faces to the National Database until the law has been clarified, why the Home Office has not yet distributed guidance about adding faces to the database until the review is complete.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL1679
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>There are a number of police forces (including the Metropolitan Police Service) which do not, and never have, uploaded custody images to the Police National Database (PND). Of the Forces that have been uploading Custody Images to the PND, none have ceased doing so. Guidance on the operational uses of PND is issued by the National Police Chiefs Council.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 30/07/2015 13:42:23 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven

391049

registered interest
date	17/07/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Terrorism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the agreement between the Metropolitan Police Service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission regarding the investigation of public complaints relating to Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL1587
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2015 answer text <p>The IPCC and MPS reached an agreement on the handling of Schedule 7 complaints, which was issued by the High Court on 12 January 2015 in the form of a consent order. The consent order is available to the public at:</p><p>http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Schedule_7_Consent_Order.pdf</p><p>We will also place a copy of the consent order in the Library of the House.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 30/07/2015 13:43:34 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury