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167897

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit Rating
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had talks with the credit rating agencies with a view to restoring the United Kingdom’s AAA credit rating.
tabling member printed	Lord Myners
uin	HL3421
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>The current European credit rating regulation 1060/2009 stipulates that rating agencies monitor and review credit ratings on an ongoing basis and at least annually. Furthermore, the regulation states that:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>&quot;The credit rating agency shall inform the rated entity at least 12 hours before publication of the credit rating and of the principal grounds on which the rating is based in order to give the entity an opportunity to draw attention of the credit rating agency to any factual errors&quot;.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government’s long term economic plan has secured the UK’s strong credit rating, which has contributed to lower borrowing costs and helped protect frontline services. In June 2014, Standard and Poor’s (S&amp;P) revised the outlook on their UK AAA rating to stable, from negative. The key driver cited by S&amp;P was <em>‘Amid further progress in consolidating public finances, the UK’s economic recovery is broadening.’ </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>S&amp;P have assigned the UK sovereign the top triple AAA rating since they first published a UK rating in 1978. Moody’s and Fitch have assigned the UK the second highest rating Aa1 and AA+ respectively, with a stable outlook.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 19/12/2014 12:47:32 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

167898

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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 3 December 2013 (WA 36) and 3 December 2014 (HL3158), which were the relevant experts or international authorities with whom the Chief Medical Officer "had a lot of discussions"; which international authorities agreed with the Chief Medical Officer’s own assessment that no-one "has come up with a better definition"; how the new definition is being accordingly incorporated into the syllabus for biology students; and what are their views on the ontological propriety of the proposed redefinition of genetic modification on the basis that it "is not that that is what it is".
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL3422
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>As stated in my Written Answer of 3 December 2014 (<em>Official Report</em>, Column WA270), the development of a working definition for genetic modification in humans was undertaken in order to bring clarity to the discussion around mitochondrial donation and is solely intended to be used in this context. There is no universally agreed definition of genetic modification in humans and the working definition devised for the debate on mitochondrial donation did not aim to establish one. The Chief Medical Officer was clear in her evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee on 22 October 2014 that the definition’s purpose is to clarify discussion of this issue.</p><p> </p><p>With regard to the discussions that took place in developing the working definition, in developing its position the Department, in consultation with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also had discussions with the Wellcome Trust and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 18/12/2014 15:55:41 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

167900

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Pensions: Tax Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current annual cost to the Exchequer of tax relief at the standard and higher rates of tax respectively on contributions to private pensions.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL3424
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>Tax relief on pension contributions is the primary means by which the Government incentivises saving for retirement. The estimated exchequer cost arising from income tax relief on contributions made to private pensions and relief on the investment returns to private pensions in 2012-13 was £34.8bn<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup>. Income tax on pensions in payment in the same year was £12.0bn, resulting in a net cost of pensions tax relief of £22.8bn in 2012-13.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] This is published in HMRC National Statistics table PEN6, available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-relief" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-relief</a> <br> Figures for 2012-13 are the latest available.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 19/12/2014 12:39:57 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

167908

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	World War I: Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to repay outstanding debt from the First World War; and to whom the repayments will be made.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2014 answer text <p>The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced on 3 December that the Government will redeem 3½% War Loan, thus repaying the vast majority of the nation’s First World War debt. The Chancellor also announced that the Government will adopt a strategy to remove the other remaining undated gilts in the government’s debt portfolio, some of which have origins going back to the eighteenth century, where it is deemed value for money to do so.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This announcement followed the Government’s decision on 31 October to redeem the much smaller 4% Consolidated Loan, the first planned repayment of an undated gilt of this kind by government for 67 years. The Debt Management Office also announced on 17 December that 3½% Conversion Loan would be redeemed on 1 April 2015. After these redemptions, none of the £2.2bn worth of First World War debt currently in the government’s debt portfolio will remain.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Treasury will redeem the outstanding £1.9 billion of debt from 3½% War Loan on Monday 9 March 2015, and the 4% Consolidated Loan will be redeemed on 1 February 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The repayments on this debt will go to the holders of these bonds. The Treasury does not hold detailed information on the identity of organisations or individuals who own gilts, however information on sectoral holdings of gilts is published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest information on the breakdown of gilt holdings by sector, including a breakdown of non-UK resident holders of gilts by foreign central banks and other non-residents, is published by the ONS in Section 5.2.10 of its quarterly United Kingdom Economic Accounts publication.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are only able to take this action today thanks to the difficult decisions that this government has taken to get a grip on the public finances. The fact that we will no longer have to pay the relatively high rate of interest on these gilts means that most important of all, this decision represents great value for money for the taxpayer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 19/12/2014 12:45:07 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

167910

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Internment: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
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 intention of the government of the Republic of Ireland to request that the European Court of Human Rights revise its judgment from 1978 in relation to the treatment of internees.
tabling member printed	Lord Kilclooney
uin	HL3434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>That is a matter for the Irish Government.</p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 17/12/2014 17:42:36 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	657 label Biography information for Lord Kilclooney

167912

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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	Postgraduate Education
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the repayment terms for the proposed postgraduate student loan system will be.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3436
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Repayment terms for taught postgraduate loans announced at Autumn Statement have not been finalised. The Government will launch a consultation early in the New Year to inform the design and terms of the loan before final decisions are taken.</p><p> </p><p>Postgraduate taught loans will be designed so that most individuals will repay in full, in recognition of the high private return to individuals, but they will beat commercial rates. One way of doing this is to charge an interest rate of RPI+3%, with repayments of 9% of income above a threshold of £21,000, frozen for 5 years, repaid concurrently with undergraduate loans.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:10:35 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

167917

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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	Disabled Students' Allowances: Assistive Technology
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of Disabled Students' Allowance is provided for (1) computers and assistive technology, and (2) training to use that technology.
tabling member printed	Lord Addington
uin	HL3441
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Information on Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure is not available at the level requested.</p><p> </p><p>A breakdown of Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure by allowance type was presented in<em> ‘Disabled Students’ Allowance: Equality Analysis’, </em>which was published in October 2014.” The publication can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:24:47 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

167918

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
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	Disabled Students' Allowances
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the Disabled Students' Allowance is provided as one-to-one support for students.
tabling member printed	Lord Addington
uin	HL3442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Information on Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure is not available at the level requested.</p><p> </p><p>A breakdown of Disabled Students’ Allowance expenditure by allowance type was presented in<em> ‘Disabled Students’ Allowance: Equality Analysis’, </em>which was published in October 2014.” The publication can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364182/bis-14-1108-higher-education-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/12/2014 17:20:43 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

167919

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Veterans: Housing
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 Astor of Hever on 3 December (HL2639), when and how the outstanding balance of the £100 million veterans accommodation fund will be awarded.
tabling member printed	Lord Rogan
uin	HL3443
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>I believe the noble Lord is referring to the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund as announced by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, in February 2014.</p><p> </p><p>As I advised in the answer I gave on 3 December 2014 (Official Report, column WA282) the entire £40 million has now been allocated. Twelve of the projects have already been announced and these are detailed in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Delivery Organisation</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Project Title</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Funding Agreed</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Veterans Aid</p></td><td><p>Refurbishment and extension to Veterans Aid hostel</p><p> </p></td><td><p>£3 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Haig Housing Trust</p></td><td><p>Haig Housing Trust Morden and Edinburgh Infill Project</p></td><td><p>£8.6 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Naval Benevolent Trust</p></td><td><p>Pembroke House Care &amp; Nursing Home Window Replacement</p><p> </p></td><td><p>£112,270</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Stoll</p></td><td><p>Refurbishment of Bathrooms for Disabled Veterans at Stoll</p></td><td><p>£246,199</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal British Legion</p></td><td><p>Maurice House Dementia Wing</p></td><td><p>£2,556,705</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>First Choice Housing Association</p></td><td><p>Veterans Accommodation Pathway (Wales and the Borders)</p></td><td><p>£2.268 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Blind Veterans UK</p></td><td><p>Life Skills for Independent Living</p></td><td><p>£1.25 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RAF Benevolent Fund</p></td><td><p>Kitchen and Garden Adaptations for Use by Wheelchair-Dependent, Lifetime Disabled Veterans</p></td><td><p>£400,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Riverside ECHG</p></td><td><p>Colchester Veterans Accommodation Pathway</p><p> </p></td><td><p>£6 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RBLI</p></td><td><p>Project LIBOR</p><p> </p></td><td><p>£1.950 million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Erskine</p></td><td><p>Erskine Lighting Project</p><p> </p></td><td><p>£550,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Stoll/Riverside ECHG/Haig Housing Trust</p><p> </p></td><td><p>The Aldershot Veterans Accommodation Pathway</p><p> </p></td><td><p>£8.5 million</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The remainder will be announced in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 18/12/2014 16:20:49 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	2478 label Biography information for Lord Rogan

167925

registered interest
date	04/12/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Schengen Agreement
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bates on 4 December, why they have refused the European Union Committee’s request of 26 November for an oral statement to be made regarding the override of the House of Lords scrutiny reserve resolution over the draft Council Decision concerning the United Kingdom's participation in provisions of the Schengen <i>acquis</i> on 1 December.
tabling member printed	Lord Boswell of Aynho
uin	HL3449
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Council Decision concerning the United Kingdom’s participation in provisions of the Schengen acquis gave effect to the decision of the House of Lords on 17 November that the Government should re-join a package of 35 measures following the exercise of the UK's opt-out under Protocol 36 to the Treaties on the functioning of the EU (the 2014 opt-out decision). The Government accepts that the draft of this document should have been deposited earlier and apologises for the delay in its provision to the Committee.</p><p>Whilst we have noted the wishes of the Committee for an oral statement on the override, the Government does not believe it to be necessary given the number of debates and the extensive engagement with both Houses of Parliament and their Committees on the Protocol 36 op-out. We have responded to the Committee's correspondence on this matter and a written statement was laid in Parliament on the 10th December.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3450 HL3451 question first answered 17/12/2014 17:41:21 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	352 label Biography information for Lord Boswell of Aynho