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91845

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
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	Housing Revenue Accounts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities bid for additional borrowing headroom under the Local Growth Fund Housing Revenue Account Borrowing Programme 2015–17; what were the values of those bids; and how many new homes were involved.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL1903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2014 answer text <p>On 9 October 2014 the Government announced £122 million of additional Housing Revenue Account borrowing to support over 1,700 new affordable homes and local growth across twenty two local authorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The attached table details all the local authorities who bid for additional borrowing headroom.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 14/10/2014 13:54:39 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name 141013 PQ350202 Baroness King of Bow table.docx title table - local authorities who bid for borrowing
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

91846

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
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	Council Tax
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors caused the reduced collection rate of Council Tax in England in 2013–14.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL1904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>Council tax collection rates have not substantially changed, as illustrated by this table, which lists average collection rates over the last ten years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><em>Average collection rate in England</em></p></td><td><p><em>%</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004-05</p></td><td><p>96.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>96.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>96.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>97.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>97.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>97.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>97.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>97.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>97.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>97.0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There were a number of factors which may have influenced the collection rates in 2013-14, which are explained in the statistical release published in July, which I have placed in the Library of the House. Historical figures can also be found on Table 4 of the release on the level of arrears.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I also have placed in the Library a table showing the total council tax arrears as of 31 March 2014 for each billing authority in England; to assist public scrutiny, the table also includes total arrears per dwelling and the in-year council tax collection rate. The worst council in England is Liverpool with £450 of arrears per dwelling; the best is Amber Valley with just £14 per dwelling.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department’s best practice document, “50 ways to save”, listed improving council tax collection rates and reducing arrears as a key way of making sensible savings to help keep overall council tax bills down and protect frontline services. Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax for the law-abiding citizen who does pay on time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship, are proportionate in enforcement and do not overuse bailiffs (and we have published guidance for councils to stop unjustified, aggressive collection practices). However, these figures show that there is a significant potential source of income which councils across the country could use to support frontline service or freeze council tax bills next year.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name Council_tax_collection_rate_Statistics July2014 PQ 350200-01.pdf title council Tax Stats Release July 2014 2 file name Total arrears Arrears per Dwellings and collection rates PQ350200-01.xlsx title council tax arrears grouped question UIN HL1905 question first answered 22/10/2014 16:49:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

91847

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
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	Council Tax
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the average Council Tax arrears per dwelling in England in each year since 2010.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL1905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>Council tax collection rates have not substantially changed, as illustrated by this table, which lists average collection rates over the last ten years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><em>Average collection rate in England</em></p></td><td><p><em>%</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004-05</p></td><td><p>96.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>96.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>96.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>97.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>97.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>97.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>97.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>97.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>97.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>97.0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There were a number of factors which may have influenced the collection rates in 2013-14, which are explained in the statistical release published in July, which I have placed in the Library of the House. Historical figures can also be found on Table 4 of the release on the level of arrears.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I also have placed in the Library a table showing the total council tax arrears as of 31 March 2014 for each billing authority in England; to assist public scrutiny, the table also includes total arrears per dwelling and the in-year council tax collection rate. The worst council in England is Liverpool with £450 of arrears per dwelling; the best is Amber Valley with just £14 per dwelling.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department’s best practice document, “50 ways to save”, listed improving council tax collection rates and reducing arrears as a key way of making sensible savings to help keep overall council tax bills down and protect frontline services. Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax for the law-abiding citizen who does pay on time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship, are proportionate in enforcement and do not overuse bailiffs (and we have published guidance for councils to stop unjustified, aggressive collection practices). However, these figures show that there is a significant potential source of income which councils across the country could use to support frontline service or freeze council tax bills next year.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name Council_tax_collection_rate_Statistics July2014 PQ 350200-01.pdf title council Tax Stats Release July 2014 2 file name Total arrears Arrears per Dwellings and collection rates PQ350200-01.xlsx title council tax arrears grouped question UIN HL1904 question first answered 22/10/2014 16:49:29 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

91848

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the terms of reference of the review into the impact of the abolition of funding for local welfare assistance schemes.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL1906
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2014 answer text <p>There has been no abolition of funding for local welfare schemes. From 2015/16 there was going to be no specific grant but we are looking again at how the funding is provided in 2015/16. The Department for Work and Pensions are carrying out a review into how the funds in 2013/14 have been used. I refer the noble Lady to the comments of my noble Friend the Lord De Mauley of 25 January 2012 during the debate on the Welfare Reform Act 2012. He said, “<em><em>Following the introduction of localised assistance, the department has already made plans to conduct a review in 2014-15 to obtain appropriate information from a representative cross-section of at least 50 local authorities, which represents one-third of the total, in order to help inform future funding levels. We have committed to using this opportunity to gather further information about the way in which local authorities have used the funding.”<br><br></em></em></p><p>I refer the noble Lord to the consultation paper on local welfare provision published by HM Government on 10 October 2014. I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/10/2014 12:46:32 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name 210187 welfare consultaion paper.pdf title welfare assistance
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

91849

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
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	Private Rented Sector Taskforce
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 25 June (HL334), whether the Private Rented Sector Task Force has met representatives of Crisis, the National Union of Students, Shelter or Generation Rent since its establishment.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL1907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2014 answer text <p>The Taskforce has a wide ranging and extensive programme of market engagement focused on meeting its principle objective of increasing institutional investment in the private rented sector and supporting the development of new Private Rented Sector schemes. The wider team within which the Taskforce sits and consults, has met with all of the organisations referred to; the Taskforce has directly met with both Shelter and Crisis.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 14/10/2014 13:44:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

91850

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Email: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking (1) to protect the public against phishing emails requesting a transfer of funds and (2) to identify the perpetrators; and what assessment they have made of the success of those steps.
tabling member printed	Lord Stone of Blackheath
uin	HL1908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2014 answer text <p>The need to tackle cyber crime was identified as a key objective of the Government’s Cyber Security Strategy, which is underpinned by £860 million of funding over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP).</p><p>We have invested around 10% of this in improving the capabilities of law enforcement to respond to cyber crime. The National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency has undertaken high profile operations in the last few months to tackle some of the most serious cases of malware, responsible for infecting computers and stealing banking and other information. This work was undertaken in conjunction with our international partners, to tackle those cyber criminals operating internationally.</p><p>We are also working to support the public and industry in better protecting themselves from this type of criminality. The NCSP funds the Cyber Streetwise awareness campaign, which encourages the public and Small and Medium Enterprises to adopt safer online behaviour.</p><p>The second phase of the campaign will launch shortly, including a refreshed website with further advice and support. In December last year, the Government also published a set of Guiding Principles with Internet Service Providers which agreed minimum standards for supporting their customers to stay safe online.</p><p>The Government also funds Action Fraud, the central reporting point for fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. This service also provides information on the latest fraud threats, including phishing emails, and individuals can sign up to be alerted when new threats emerge.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 14/10/2014 13:50:56 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	2222 label Biography information for Lord Stone of Blackheath

91851

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Email: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total number of phishing emails requesting a transfer of funds received by United Kingdom citizens each year.
tabling member printed	Lord Stone of Blackheath
uin	HL1909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2014 answer text <p>It is not possible to give an exact figure for the total number of phishing emails received by United Kingdom citizens each year. Published data from the Oxford Internet Institute estimates that 19 per cent of internet users experienced phishing attempts in 2013, down from 22 per cent in 2011. Phishing attempts, whether successful or not, can be reported to the Action Fraud reporting centre, run by the City of London Police, which is the UK’s central point for reporting fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime.</p><p> </p><p>The cyber security threat was recognised by the Government as a Tier One threat to national security. In response, we are investing £860 million over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) to improve our ability to understand and tackle this threat. Around 10% of NCSP funding has been used to improve capabilities of the police to investigate cyber crime, including creating the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency, and setting up dedicated cyber teams in each of the Regional Organised Crime Units in England and Wales. We have also launched an awareness campaign, known as Cyber StreetWise, to encourage individuals and businesses to adopt sensible online behaviours so they can avoid the dangers of scams such as phishing. The details can be viewed at www.cyberstreetwise.com.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 14/10/2014 13:52:46 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	2222 label Biography information for Lord Stone of Blackheath

91852

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Defence Equipment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the Defence Equipment Plan 2013, how much of the £4.7 billion contingency provision and the £8.4 billion headroom is allocated for (1) equipment procurement and (2) equipment support.
tabling member printed	Lord Moonie
uin	HL1910
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2014 answer text <p>As set out in the Defence Equipment Plan 2013, the £4.7billion contingency provision available at the end of Annual Budget 13 is intended to provide protection for the core equipment programme. This means the funding would be released to wherever it was required, whether for equipment procurement or equipment support projects, against unexpected cost growth in addition to the financial risk provision held in individual equipment project budgets. The £8.4billion headroom described in the plan allows the Department to fund additional equipment procurement or equipment support programmes that are a high priority for Defence when they are required and we can be sure that they are affordable.</p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 16/10/2014 16:07:25 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	621 label Biography information for Lord Moonie

91853

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Military Aircraft
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each year since 2007–8, what were the total (1) planned, and (2) actual, usage hours for (a) the C-17 Globemaster, (b) the C-130K Hercules, (c) the C-130J Hercules, (d) the Tristar, and (e) the VC-10, aircraft.
tabling member printed	Lord Moonie
uin	HL1911
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2014 answer text <p>The planned and actual flying hours for financial years 2009-10 onwards are provided in the table below. Figures for the C-130 Hercules reflect the total fleet flying hours irrespective of aircraft Mark as this data is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>2009-10</td><td>2010-11</td><td>2011-12</td><td>2012-13</td><td>2013-14</td></tr><tr><td>C-17 Planned</td><td>7,800</td><td>8,300</td><td>8,800</td><td>9,580</td><td>10,140</td></tr><tr><td>Actual</td><td>8,320</td><td>8,790</td><td>8,370</td><td>8,230</td><td>8,660</td></tr><tr><td>C-130 Planned</td><td>28,720</td><td>28,060</td><td>26,080</td><td>24,440</td><td>22,150</td></tr><tr><td>Actual</td><td>20,650</td><td>17,970</td><td>16,920</td><td>16,110</td><td>13,850</td></tr><tr><td>Tristar Planned</td><td>11,560</td><td>9,830</td><td>6,000</td><td>6,000</td><td>6,000</td></tr><tr><td>Actual</td><td>6,550</td><td>5,470</td><td>5,820</td><td>5,510</td><td>4,270</td></tr><tr><td>VC-10 Planned</td><td>6,480</td><td>6,480</td><td>4,480</td><td>4,480</td><td>670</td></tr><tr><td>Actual</td><td>7,370</td><td>6,110</td><td>5,360</td><td>2,430</td><td>550</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.</p><p> </p><p>For 2007-08 and 2008-09 I refer the noble Lord to the previous answers given on 15 June 2009 (Official Report, column 8W), 14 May 2009 (Official Report, column 13MC) and 27 April (Official Report, column 1023W).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 22/10/2014 16:26:03 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	621 label Biography information for Lord Moonie

91854

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Courts Martial
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many courts-martial there were in HM Armed Forces in the last year for which records are available; how many of those were judged by commanding officers; and how many of those defendants did not have legal representation.
tabling member printed	Lord Temple-Morris
uin	HL1912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2014 answer text <p>480 Service personnel were tried by Court Martial during the year 2013.<br>None of those were judged by their Commanding Officers. 70 chose to represent themselves at trial.</p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 13/10/2014 16:37:50 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	267 label Biography information for Lord Temple-Morris