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173539

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Asylum: Females
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish their response to General Recommendation No. 32 from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, published on 14 November 2014, in particular those recommendations concerning female interviewers and interpreters for women asylum-applicants, and those relating to legal representation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL4121
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>Unlike the concluding observations which the CEDAW Committee issues to the UK specifically after each of our periodic examinations, General Recommendations are issued by the Committee to all 188 States which are party to the Convention. That means that not all the General Recommendations will actually be relevant to the UK's circumstances and policies, and it is not the normal practice of the Government to respond specifically to the publication of General Recommendations.</p><p> </p><p>If a General Recommendation is relevant to the UK, then the Committee will assess us against it during our periodic examination. We will receive their evaluation and we will have the opportunity to respond fully at that stage. The Government has, however, noted the publication of General Recommendation No. 32 on the gender-related dimensions of refugee status, asylum, nationality and statelessness of women by the Committee, and the content has been conveyed to the Home Office.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Home Office will of course be able to answer any specific questions the noble Lord has on female interviewers and interpreters for women asylum applicants.</p> answering member printed Baroness Garden of Frognal question first answered 22/01/2015 17:08:22 answering member 3842 label Biography information for Baroness Garden of Frognal
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

173529

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Syria
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 13 January, how many Syrian refugees have been accepted in the United Kingdom; over what period they have arrived here; how many have been settled or are in the process of being settled; what settlement rights have been conferred on them; and in what areas of the United Kingdom they are living.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4111
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>The resettlement pledges for all countries including those from European Union member states is listed on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website. The direct link to this page is as follows: <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/52b2febafc5.html" target="_blank">http://www.unhcr.org/52b2febafc5.html</a></p><p>Ninety people were relocated to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme between the first group of arrivals on 25 March and the end of September 2014. This is the latest publicly available figure, as numbers are released as part of the publication of Home Office official statistics each quarter; the number of arrivals under the scheme up to December 2014 will be published on 26 February.</p><p>Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR. Given the serious vulnerability of the beneficiaries, our priority is to ensure that the support and accommodation they need is in place before they arrive in the UK. We are working closely with UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration and local authorities to achieve this as soon as practically possible as the circumstances of each particular case allow. In these circumstances it is not possible to provide information on the number of individuals in any part of the resettlement process at any given time.</p><p>Beneficiaries of the scheme are granted five years’ Humanitarian Protection with all the rights and benefits that go with that status, including access to public funds, access to the labour market and the possibility of family reunion.</p><p>As the scheme is based on vulnerability - including women and children at risk, people with medical needs and survivors of torture and violence - it would not</p><p>be appropriate for us to release specific details of where individuals are being placed, as this risks undermining their privacy and recovery.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL4110 question first answered 21/01/2015 14:30:01 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

173528

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Syria
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 13 January, whether they will list by country how many Syrian refugees have been accepted by each of the European Union member states.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4110
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>The resettlement pledges for all countries including those from European Union member states is listed on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website. The direct link to this page is as follows: <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/52b2febafc5.html" target="_blank">http://www.unhcr.org/52b2febafc5.html</a></p><p>Ninety people were relocated to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme between the first group of arrivals on 25 March and the end of September 2014. This is the latest publicly available figure, as numbers are released as part of the publication of Home Office official statistics each quarter; the number of arrivals under the scheme up to December 2014 will be published on 26 February.</p><p>Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR. Given the serious vulnerability of the beneficiaries, our priority is to ensure that the support and accommodation they need is in place before they arrive in the UK. We are working closely with UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration and local authorities to achieve this as soon as practically possible as the circumstances of each particular case allow. In these circumstances it is not possible to provide information on the number of individuals in any part of the resettlement process at any given time.</p><p>Beneficiaries of the scheme are granted five years’ Humanitarian Protection with all the rights and benefits that go with that status, including access to public funds, access to the labour market and the possibility of family reunion.</p><p>As the scheme is based on vulnerability - including women and children at risk, people with medical needs and survivors of torture and violence - it would not</p><p>be appropriate for us to release specific details of where individuals are being placed, as this risks undermining their privacy and recovery.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL4111 question first answered 21/01/2015 14:30:01 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

173526

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Zimbabwe
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe; and what level of aid the United Kingdom is providing to that country.
	tabling member printed	Lord Luce
	uin	HL4108
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>The United Kingdom continues to closely monitor events in Zimbabwe, including the recent changes within the ruling party. We remain committed to supporting the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a more democratic, stable and prosperous future.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2013/14 we provided £106 million in aid to Zimbabwe. This aid focused on helping the country’s poorest people, including providing healthcare, water, sanitation, and access to markets needed for people to earn enough money to meet their basic needs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>No UK aid goes directly through GoZ systems. UK aid is instead channelled through multilateral institutions such as United Nations Agencies, most notably the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as international Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The most up to date figures of DFID spend can be found in DFID’s Annual Report.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 23/01/2015 12:04:37 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	908 label Biography information for Lord Luce

173533

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their agreement in paragraph 37 of the Stormont House Agreement to "make full disclosure" to the proposed Historical Investigation Unit includes the handing over of all relevant files and documents in the possession of the security services and the Army; what is the current United Kingdom legislation applying to existing bodies that is said to prevent "damaging onward disclosure of information"; and whether they can guarantee, in the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland, that the legislation will meet their duty to keep people safe and secure and will be compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4115
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>The Stormont House Agreement made clear that the UK Government will make full disclosure of all relevant information held by UK Government departments to the Historical Investigations Unit.</p><p>There are various statutes which contain provisions designed to prevent damaging disclosure of sensitive information. These range from the Official Secrets Act 1989, which applies generally and deals with disclosure of Government information, to other approaches that deal with specific legal processes, such as the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 which governs disclosure of information by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Appropriate legislation will be drafted to provide for the specific requirements of the Historical Investigations Unit regarding onward disclosure, in line with arrangements for existing bodies and consistent with the Stormont House Agreement.</p><p>The UK Government is committed to ensuring that the right to life (Article 2) is protected and that the Government also fulfils its duty to keep people safe and secure, in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Randerson question first answered 23/01/2015 12:59:35 answering member 4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

173523

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the practice in the life assurance and reassurance markets of pension buyouts and longevity swaps, what is their assessment of the expected growth of those markets and at what point it would require assessment of the market exposure to systemic risk.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL4105
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government recognises that pension buy-outs, buy-ins and longevity swap transactions provide an important means for pension schemes and firms to transfer longevity risk to a willing buyer. Factors that may lead to changes in the size and quantum of these markets and their ability to pose systemic risks to regulated firms is a matter for the Prudential Regulation Authority.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 26/01/2015 16:53:37 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

173522

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has considered investigating the conduct or operation of the boards of any of the companies that have been fined for practices relating to LIBOR, gold price fixing or foreign exchange manipulation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL4104
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government has taken a substantial number of measures to change the culture in UK banking.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This Government supported the work of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards which reported in June 2013 on professional standards and culture of the UK banking sector. Legislation to give effect to its recommendations on banking standards and individual accountability were included in the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013. The Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Treasury worked through 2014 to prepare secondary legislation, regulatory rules and other detailed implementing measures.</p><p> </p><p>The Government expects to announce the final timetable for implementing these reforms shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the Financial Services Act 2012, this Government introduced a new criminal offence to address the issue of the manipulation of the LIBOR interest rate benchmark. In December 2014 the government announced that this offence would be extended to cover a further seven financial benchmarks from, subject to Parliamentary approval, 1 April 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We also recognise that there is more to do if the banking industry and global financial markets are to regain public trust. The Chancellor of the Exchequer therefore announced in his Mansion House speech in June 2014 a Treasury, Bank of England and FCA review of the operation of the foreign exchange, fixed income and commodity markets. The Fair and Effective Markets Review will examine how trust and credibility in these markets can be restored. The review will report in June 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In November 2014 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in co-ordination with financial regulators in the US and Switzerland, announced the outcome of its investigations into attempted manipulation of foreign exchange markets by 5 banks. It imposed penalties on 5 banks totalling £1.11 billion. In addition the Director of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_Fraud_Office" target="_blank">Serious Fraud Office</a> opened a criminal investigation into allegations of fraudulent conduct in the foreign exchange market in July 2014. The Government does not comment on ongoing investigations, so as not to prejudice these inquiries.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ensuring that firms incentivise employees to behave in the right way is essential to restoring public trust in financial services. The Fair &amp; Effective Markets Review’s scope covers trading practices in markets, and drivers of behaviour including incentives for individuals. In November 2014 the Chancellor wrote to the Governor of the Bank of England to ask that the increasing levels of fixed remuneration in the financial sector following the introduction of the ‘bonus cap’ be considered as part of this work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL4096 HL4103 question first answered 27/01/2015 16:42:38 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

173521

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banks
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their evaluation of progress in changing the culture in the banking sector in the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL4103
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government has taken a substantial number of measures to change the culture in UK banking.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This Government supported the work of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards which reported in June 2013 on professional standards and culture of the UK banking sector. Legislation to give effect to its recommendations on banking standards and individual accountability were included in the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013. The Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Treasury worked through 2014 to prepare secondary legislation, regulatory rules and other detailed implementing measures.</p><p> </p><p>The Government expects to announce the final timetable for implementing these reforms shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the Financial Services Act 2012, this Government introduced a new criminal offence to address the issue of the manipulation of the LIBOR interest rate benchmark. In December 2014 the government announced that this offence would be extended to cover a further seven financial benchmarks from, subject to Parliamentary approval, 1 April 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We also recognise that there is more to do if the banking industry and global financial markets are to regain public trust. The Chancellor of the Exchequer therefore announced in his Mansion House speech in June 2014 a Treasury, Bank of England and FCA review of the operation of the foreign exchange, fixed income and commodity markets. The Fair and Effective Markets Review will examine how trust and credibility in these markets can be restored. The review will report in June 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In November 2014 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in co-ordination with financial regulators in the US and Switzerland, announced the outcome of its investigations into attempted manipulation of foreign exchange markets by 5 banks. It imposed penalties on 5 banks totalling £1.11 billion. In addition the Director of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_Fraud_Office" target="_blank">Serious Fraud Office</a> opened a criminal investigation into allegations of fraudulent conduct in the foreign exchange market in July 2014. The Government does not comment on ongoing investigations, so as not to prejudice these inquiries.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ensuring that firms incentivise employees to behave in the right way is essential to restoring public trust in financial services. The Fair &amp; Effective Markets Review’s scope covers trading practices in markets, and drivers of behaviour including incentives for individuals. In November 2014 the Chancellor wrote to the Governor of the Bank of England to ask that the increasing levels of fixed remuneration in the financial sector following the introduction of the ‘bonus cap’ be considered as part of this work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL4096 HL4104 question first answered 27/01/2015 16:42:38 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

173532

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Internet
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to legislation to ban all forms of anonymity online.
	tabling member printed	Lord Morrow
	uin	HL4114
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government believes anonymity online is an important protection for people living in oppressive regimes around the world. That said, anonymous posting should not be a tool to help those seeking to abuse others online. The Government expects all social media to make it easy for users to choose not to receive anonymous posts, to have simple mechanisms for reporting abuse and to take action promptly when abuse is reported.</p><p>Removing the ability to make anonymous postings will not prevent cyber bullying behaviour. Protecting children online is everyone’s responsibility. The position remains that where something is illegal offline it is also illegal online and there is already legislation which applies.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 21/01/2015 12:05:17 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	3795 label Biography information for Lord Morrow

173520

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to issue an apology for the failure to inform female patients of the dangers of Valproate in pregnancy and the harm caused to children as a result.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Masham of Ilton
	uin	HL4102
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Sodium valproate has been authorised since the early 1970’s for the treatment of epilepsy. It was known at the time of licensing that valproate was associated with an increased risk of birth defects and it was authorised for the treatment of women of childbearing potential only where other treatments were ineffective. The authorised product information (Summary of Product Characteristics or SPC and Patient Information Leaflet or PIL) contain warnings about the risks associated with use in pregnancy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) initiated a Europe-wide review of the risk of developmental disorders in October 2013 following publication of studies which provided further information on the magnitude and nature of the risk of developmental disorders in children born to mothers who took valproate in pregnancy. The Europe-wide review, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, was completed in November 2014 and MHRA is working to fully implement the conclusions of that review which are binding in all Member States. There will be a mandatory requirement for all manufacturers to update the valproate SPC and PIL with strengthened warnings and in addition new educational materials will be provided to healthcare professionals and patients.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL4101 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:28:03 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1850 label Biography information for Baroness Masham of Ilton

173519

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the findings of the European Medicines Agency review of Valproate in pregnancy, and the past issue of the availability of information to patients, why the new instructions from the European Medicines Agency have not become mandatory.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Masham of Ilton
	uin	HL4101
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Sodium valproate has been authorised since the early 1970’s for the treatment of epilepsy. It was known at the time of licensing that valproate was associated with an increased risk of birth defects and it was authorised for the treatment of women of childbearing potential only where other treatments were ineffective. The authorised product information (Summary of Product Characteristics or SPC and Patient Information Leaflet or PIL) contain warnings about the risks associated with use in pregnancy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) initiated a Europe-wide review of the risk of developmental disorders in October 2013 following publication of studies which provided further information on the magnitude and nature of the risk of developmental disorders in children born to mothers who took valproate in pregnancy. The Europe-wide review, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, was completed in November 2014 and MHRA is working to fully implement the conclusions of that review which are binding in all Member States. There will be a mandatory requirement for all manufacturers to update the valproate SPC and PIL with strengthened warnings and in addition new educational materials will be provided to healthcare professionals and patients.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL4102 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:28:03 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1850 label Biography information for Baroness Masham of Ilton

173531

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Internet: Harassment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the establishment of cyber-abuse and internet trolling research, either independent of, or in concert with, existing government statistical research agencies, to generate statistical research and clarify issues, with a view to reducing and eliminating internet trolling activity.
	tabling member printed	Lord Morrow
	uin	HL4113
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>Research is already being carried out into abusive behaviour online. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) established a Research Working Group in 2010 which has undertaken to collate research on all aspects of internet safety affecting children, including trolling. UKCCIS has also presented reports, such as “Good practice guidance for the providers of social networking and other user-interactive services” which looks at the issue of online bullying. This guidance is currently under review.</p><p>In addition, Ofcom is very active in researching online abuse. It publishes the “Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report” on an annual basis. This looks at how children deal with online dangers and how best to improve resilience to online dangers, such as trolling. Earlier this month, it published the “Report on Internet safety measures - Strategies of parental protection for children online” which examines the online safety measures available and how they are used by children.</p><p> </p><p>At present, there are no plans for further statistical research into this behaviour between adults who are trolls. For those whose online postings are grossly offensive, obscene, indecent or false, it remains the case that what is illegal offline is illegal online. The House of Lords Communications Select Committee stated in their report into Social Media and Criminal Offences that the criminal law in this area, almost entirely enacted before the invention of social media, is generally appropriate for the prosecution of offences committed using social media.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 21/01/2015 12:04:26 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	3795 label Biography information for Lord Morrow

173524

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	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	Barclays
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions ministers and officials at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had with Barclays Bank about the planned closure of rural branches, in particular at St Agnes, Cornwall, which is the only bank located in that community.
	tabling member printed	Lord Teverson
	uin	HL4106
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>Officials at the Department have discussed with Barclays Bank the rationale for the planned closure of the branch in St Agnes, Cornwall, and the steps that are being taken to ensure that local resident’s banking needs can continue to be met.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has also held a recent roundtable with the banks, the Post Office, regulators, consumer groups and organisations representing vulnerable groups to identify ways of maintaining access to banking services for all communities in the context of branch closures and technological change. A further roundtable has been organised to review progress.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 27/01/2015 12:55:17 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3789 label Biography information for Lord Teverson

173536

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Fuels: Taxation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated loss of tax and VAT respectively from the sale of diesel and petrol for every 10 pence reduction in the prices of those fuels; what is their estimate of the annual loss in revenue from those sources this year compared to 2014; and what is the actual difference in revenue in the last six months compared to the same six months the year before.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4118
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>In answer to the first question, the falling price of petrol and diesel is likely to increase fuel duty revenues. This is because fuel duty is a unit tax that does not vary with the price of the product. For every litre of petrol or diesel sold, 57.95 pence is paid in fuel duty.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For every 10 pence reduction in the price of fuel, there will be a loss of 2 pence in VAT per litre sold, if there was no change in consumption. Given there were around 45bn litres of these fuels sold in 2013-14, there would be about a £900m loss per annum in VAT revenue from a 10 pence reduction in the price of diesel and petrol.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Offsetting this, a lower price of diesel or petrol is likely to result in people driving more, consuming more fuel and therefore increasing fuel duty and VAT revenues.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This covers the direct effects of a fall in the price of petrol and diesel on VAT and fuel duty receipts; however, there are likely to be positive impacts on GDP, and hence on total tax receipts, from higher real disposable income and lower transport costs for businesses. A full analysis of these economic and fiscal impacts is not available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For the second question, the estimated annual change in revenue of the latest fuel duty and VAT forecasts between 2013-14 and 2014-15 can be found in table 4.5 from the OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook, December 2014<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup>. Fuel duty receipts are forecast to rise from £26.9bn to £27.0bn, total VAT receipts are forecast to rise from £106.5bn to £110.1bn. Fuel pump prices have fallen further since the Autumn Statement forecast and a new forecast will be published with the 2015 Budget.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In answer to the third question, HMRC publishes a monthly series of National Statistics on receipts from Hydrocarbon Oils<sup><sup>[2]</sup></sup>. VAT receipts are not separately identified for specific commodities such as petrol and diesel.</p><p> </p><br /><p>[1] <a href="http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-december-2014/" target="_blank">http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-december-2014/</a></p><p>[2] <a href="https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 26/01/2015 16:52:22 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

173530

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 13 January, what action is being taken to respond to UNICEF’s report published on 11 January that UNICEF need additional resources to respond to winter conditions affecting refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Syria.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4112
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>In Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, DFID is supporting 13 implementing partners to carry out planned winterisation activities totalling over £32 million. This will provide an estimated 660,000 vulnerable people with items such as warm clothing, thermal blankets, mattresses, stoves, cash/vouchers and shelter support. In addition to our ongoing support to UNICEF in Syria and the region, a further £2 million has been provided to procure 65,000 blankets for Aleppo and Tartous in Syria reaching 32,500 children, and clothing kits for 45,000 children.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 21/01/2015 12:01:52 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

173527

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Muslim Brotherhood
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish their recent review of the Muslim Brotherhood.
	tabling member printed	Lord Luce
	uin	HL4109
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>I refer the noble peer to the answer I gave on 13 October 2014, Official Report, Column WA13.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 19/01/2015 16:56:08 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	908 label Biography information for Lord Luce

173537

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Medicine: Education
	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 24 October 2014 (HL2125 and HL2126) and 1 July 2013 (WA 191–2), why the review of medical and dental student intakes recommended by the Health and Education National Strategic Exchange for 2014, which was to be led by Health Education England, did not take place; and why, in its absence, they reconsidered the policy of reducing student intake.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4119
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Health Education England (HEE) plans to undertake a review of the medical student intake in 2015 in the context of the HEE Strategic Framework 15, the HEE Workforce Plan for England 2015-16, and the recently published NHS England Five Year Forward View.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Working with the Chief Dental Officer for England, HEE took the decision to recommend a reduction in the 2014 student dental intake by 10%. This was in response to a number of issues including detailed analysis supplied by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence that highlighted key changes in the improvement in dental health within England and the need for NHS England to ensure it had available the appropriate workforce to meet the needs of the service going forward.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 26/01/2015 12:46:52 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

173535

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Passports
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is current practice to stamp passports of British and foreign nationals on departure and arrival at airports; and, if not, whether that practice will be re-introduced as part of the proposed changes to the monitoring of migration.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4117
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>All passengers arriving in the UK are subject to border checks. Those who require to be given leave to enter have their passports stamped with the appropriate conditions of stay. Passports are not stamped on departure. There are no plans to change these practices.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 21/01/2015 14:30:32 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

173525

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	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	Regulation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many sectors of the United Kingdom economy are covered by regulatory agencies; how many agencies there are per sector; and how the pattern for 2013–14 compares with that of a decade ago.
	tabling member printed	Lord Smith of Clifton
	uin	HL4107
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>A large number of organisations play a part in securing compliance with the law. They include national regulators, local authorities, and bodies independent of Government, some of which have statutory regulatory functions. [Data on coverage of sectors by regulatory agencies are not available].</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Her Majesty’s Government has for the first time published details of the main national regulators, their remits and regulatory budgets and staff resource as well as the regulatory functions undertaken by local authorities on the BIS website: <a href="http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/focusonenforcement" target="_blank">http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/focusonenforcement</a> , a copy of which is attached for information.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This exercise mainly focuses on regulatory functions carried out in England. In the case of Scotland, it only applies to regulatory functions exercised in reserved matters. In Northern Ireland, it only applies to regulatory functions which have not been transferred. It does not apply to regulatory functions which are only exercisable in or as regards Wales.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Data about regulators was not collected or collated in this manner by Her Majesty’s Government. A decade ago, however, Sir Philip Hampton did publish details of a range of relevant bodies and a copy of this material is also attached for information.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe attachment 1 file name List of regulators' data 2012-13 - HL4107.pdf title List of Regulators 2 file name Hampton - Reducing Administrative Burdens.pdf title Reducing Regulatory Burdens question first answered 26/01/2015 13:40:00 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3144 label Biography information for Lord Smith of Clifton

173538

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	General Practitioners
	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 24 October 2014 (HL2125 and HL2126), what plans they have to address the current shortage of general practitioners; whether they will review their decision to reduce the number of students entering medical school this year; and whether they intend to rely on foreign medical graduates coming to this country to fill vacancies for the foreseeable future.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4120
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p><em>There are more than 1,000 more general practitioners (GPs) now working and training in the National Health Service than from the position in September 2010, the most recent figures after the General Election – these data are published once a year in September. The next census as at 30 September 2014 will be published in March 2015.</em></p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p><em>Transforming Primary Care </em>set out the intention to make available around 10,000 primary and community health and care professionals by 2020, in support of the shift in how care will be provided. Bringing forward substantial numbers of new GPs through training is a key part of this, and Health Education England’s (HEE) mandate commitment will increase the total number of GPs available by 5,000.</p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p><em>In order to understand the needs of the primary care workforce of the future, HEE has commissioned an independent review. On 10 December 2014, HEE announced that Professor Martin Roland, Professor of Health Services Research, University of Cambridge, will Chair the Primary Care Workforce Commission. </em></p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p><em>The work was commissioned by HEE at the request of the Secretary of State for Health, due to the future health and care system requiring greater emphasis on community, primary and integrated services, and to ensure that we have the primary care workforce to meet the changing needs for healthcare, therefore it will focus on: </em></p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p><em>- </em><em>patient and population need; </em></p><p> </p><p><em>- </em><em>emerging models of care to respond to the population need; </em></p><p> </p><p><em>- </em><em>maximising new skill sets; and</em></p><p> </p><p><em>- </em><em>education and training. </em></p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p><em>HEE are currently implementing a number of projects to support recruitment into practice. This includes a pre-GP year pilot in five Local Education and Training Boards that provides targeted educational development for those expressing interest in general practice, and the launch of a primary and community care programme.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HEE plan to undertake a review of the medical student intake in 2015 in the context of the HEE Strategic Framework 15, the HEE Workforce Plan for England 2015-16, and the recently published NHS England Five Year Forward View.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 26/01/2015 13:00:07 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

173534

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	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	Pensions and Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place administratively and legislatively to reduce public sector pensions and social security benefits in the event of the consumer and retail price indices September 2015 recording negative growth and deflation; and what preparations they are making for that eventuality.
	tabling member printed	Lord Laird
	uin	HL4116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Decisions about the up-rating of social security benefits, and subsequent changes to public sector pensions, are taken annually following the publication of September’s price inflation, so such decisions would be for a future Government.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 19/01/2015 15:09:24 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird