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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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