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1058717

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran: Press TV
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) budget of Press TV and (b) level of investment it receives from the Iranian State; and what assessment he has made of Press TV's level of editorial independence.
tabling member constituency	Berwick-upon-Tweed
tabling member printed	Anne-Marie Trevelyan
uin	219522
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2019 answer text <p>We assess that Press TV is part of state-controlled Iranian media, and as such it is not independent. We cannot currently assess Press TV’s budget or the level of investment it receives from the Iranian state. Press TV’s license to broadcast in the UK was revoked by Ofcom in 2012.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 26/02/2019 13:12:22 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan

1058743

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Brexit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is drawing up plans for specific nations and regions of the UK to boost the economy in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
uin	219386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>The Government continues to work towards a deal and we are confident of securing a relationship with the EU which maintains the current, liberalised access and frictionless trade we enjoy. This is in the interest of business across all regions of the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to supporting vital industries in any EU exit scenario, including taking action to provide continuity for UK business in trading arrangements wherever possible. Extensive engagement continues between Government and industry to help businesses prepare for different scenarios.</p><p> </p><p>Our modern Industrial Strategy has set out a long-term approach to ensure that we’re building an economy fit for the future and will help us make the best of our relations with Europe and beyond. This includes a range of measures aimed at increasing investment to all regions of the UK from the private and public sector, from cutting business taxes, slashing red tape to investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 28/02/2019 17:07:04 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1058941

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
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	Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of co-ordinating re-assessments for disabled claimants in receipt of employment support allowance and personal independence payments to avoid people having to undergoing multiple re-assessments.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	219485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>We are committed to assessing people with health conditions and disabilities fairly and accurately, helping people to access the right support. We have already introduced the Severe Conditions Criteria for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)/Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions. As well as providing ongoing awards with light touch review at ten years for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with the highest needs, where those needs will not improve.</p><p> </p><p>I do consider there are potential merits, and the Department recently announced our intention to create an integrated service for PIP and Work Capability Assessments to join up processes around the assessments. This will streamline the customer journey, enabling more user-friendly and joined-up benefit systems. Going further we will also test the feasibility of using a single assessment to determine eligibility for PIP or capability for work within UC/ESA where claims are initially made for both benefits. This should inform our approach to reassessments.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 18/03/2019 16:58:45 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1059046

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Pleural Plaques: Compensation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people applied for compensation under the pleural plaques compensation scheme in each parliamentary constituency; and what proportion of those people settled (a) in part and (b) in full.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	219378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2019 answer text <p>The pleural plaques compensation scheme ran between 2 August 2010 and 1 August 2011 and was administered by the Ministry of Justice. A total of 9511 applications were made to the scheme, of which 9018 were successful. Applications were not recorded by parliamentary constituency.</p><p> </p><p>The scheme operated as an extra-statutory scheme, making £5000 payments on an ex-gratia basis to applicants who fulfilled the scheme’s criteria, namely that they were individuals who had begun, but not resolved, a legal claim for compensation for pleural plaques at the time of the House of Lords ruling in October 2007 in the case of Rothwell v Chemical &amp; Insulating Co Ltd [2007] UKHL 39. That ruling had held that the occurrence of pleural plaques is not a compensatable disease.</p><p> </p><p>Eligibility for the scheme was limited to that category of people as they would have had an understandable expectation of receiving compensation when they began their claim, an expectation which would not have been shared by those diagnosed later.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 29/03/2019 16:13:06 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer previous answer version 102193 answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

1059193

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration: EU Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent staff are working on the EU Settlement Scheme and, of these, how many were recruited from (1) within the Home Office, (2) other government departments, and (3) elsewhere; and how many extra staff they intend to recruit for this purpose (a) before 29 March 2019 and (b) subsequently.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL13582
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>We currently have over 1,200 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) European Casework staff in post to quickly process EU Settlement Scheme applications. This number will increase to 1,500 staff before the scheme fully launches by 30 March 2019. In addition to this, we are recruiting a further 300 staff for the new customer resolution centre which will proactively support EU citizens through the application process.</p><p>We are committed to ensuring that our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.</p><p>All recruitment has been through fair and open competition, and has encompassed existing Home Office staff, Other Government Department employees, and external recruits. We do not have a breakdown of where staff were previously employed. More detailed information about the previous roles of staff is not available within reasonable costs.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 25/02/2019 17:09:10 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

1059194

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration: EU Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost of the EU Settlement Scheme to date; and what is the estimated total cost up to the deadline for applications on 30 June 2021.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL13583
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>For the 2018/19 financial year, HM Treasury provided EU Exit funding allocation of £395 million to Home Office. £170 million has been reserved for the development and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme. This includes building a simple, user-friendly digital application system, communications campaign and caseworkers to process applications.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 25/02/2019 17:07:44 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

1059198

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Property Guardians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what risk assessment has been conducted on the dangers of breaches of (1) electrical safety, (2) gas safety, and (3) fire safety regulations for people living as property guardians.
tabling member printed	Baroness Grender
uin	HL13586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>The Housing Act 2004 is applicable to premises occupied as a dwelling by property guardians. Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities have a legal duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review and identify any action that may need to be taken. If local authorities are aware of properties in their area occupied by property guardians, they should consider inspecting these properties proactively to identify potential health and safety hazards. The Housing Health &amp; Safety Rating System (HHSRS) applies across all premises occupied as a dwelling, including guardian properties. If hazards are present, local authorities have tough enforcement powers.</p><p>Electrical safety, gas safety and fire safety requirements apply to all private rented sector properties including guardian properties when they are residential or used as a dwelling. Fire safety in all non-domestic premises, including the common parts of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.</p><p>The Government has not carried out a specific assessment of the risks to property guardians in buildings under different ownership. It is the role of local authorities to inspect and take action as required. The Government is reviewing information available to guardians and local authorities about their enforcement powers to make sure this happens.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth grouped question UIN HL13585 HL13589 question first answered 25/02/2019 16:13:06 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4291 label Biography information for Baroness Grender

1059201

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Property Guardians
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 relevance of the Housing Act 2004 and its application to premises occupied by a property guardian.
tabling member printed	Baroness Grender
uin	HL13589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>The Housing Act 2004 is applicable to premises occupied as a dwelling by property guardians. Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities have a legal duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review and identify any action that may need to be taken. If local authorities are aware of properties in their area occupied by property guardians, they should consider inspecting these properties proactively to identify potential health and safety hazards. The Housing Health &amp; Safety Rating System (HHSRS) applies across all premises occupied as a dwelling, including guardian properties. If hazards are present, local authorities have tough enforcement powers.</p><p>Electrical safety, gas safety and fire safety requirements apply to all private rented sector properties including guardian properties when they are residential or used as a dwelling. Fire safety in all non-domestic premises, including the common parts of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.</p><p>The Government has not carried out a specific assessment of the risks to property guardians in buildings under different ownership. It is the role of local authorities to inspect and take action as required. The Government is reviewing information available to guardians and local authorities about their enforcement powers to make sure this happens.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth grouped question UIN HL13585 HL13586 question first answered 25/02/2019 16:13:06 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4291 label Biography information for Baroness Grender

1059213

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have free trade agreements with the EU but have not yet signed such agreements with the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Myners
uin	HL13599
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>The Government recently updated the House on our progress to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements, and I refer the noble Lord to the Government’s written statement published on 21 February 2019.We will continue to inform the House as soon as further agreements are signed.</p><p> </p><p>You can find a list of all the EU’s Free Trade Agreements here: <a href="https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Ftrade%2Fpolicy%2Fcountries-and-regions%2Fnegotiations-and-agreements%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cparly.pqs%40trade.gov.uk%7C7edc6bb1d9cc48441cf308d69b10ba42%7C8fa217ec33aa46fbad96dfe68006bb86%7C0%7C0%7C636866893474959248&amp;sdata=GA5yPmc0UslxVvrUzg9yDOCgYLHsfSPZTDXL7RI0c2g%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/negotiations-and-agreements/</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Fairhead question first answered 25/02/2019 17:28:55 answering member 4690 label Biography information for Baroness Fairhead
tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

1059235

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords: Disability
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he is satisfied that the present arrangements in the Chamber and Committee Rooms meet the needs of those with hearing or visual impairments.
tabling member printed	Lord Trefgarne
uin	HL13620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>The House of Lords provides support for Members, staff and visitors to Parliament affected by hearing loss through the use of audio loop and infrared systems that help to amplify sound for hearing aid users. Loop systems are installed in the Chamber and all Committee rooms, with infrared systems additionally available within Committee rooms 1 to 4, 2A, 3A and the Moses Room. Handheld radio transmitters are also available to hearing-aid users when in the Chamber, to reduce interference from electrical equipment and improve the quality of sound provided by the audio loop.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently exploring options to provide an audio description service for Chamber and Committee proceedings. This will provide blind and partially sighted members, committee witnesses and members of the public with a voiced description of which member or witness is currently speaking, transmitted directly via an audio service. A feasibility study was commissioned in January 2019 and will report back later this year.</p><p> </p><p>Further microphones are due to be added to the Chamber this year, which will improve the quality of service provided to hearing aid users. A greater number of microphones situated closer to the people speaking minimises background noise and gives a cleaner sound on the audio which is sent directly to hearing aids via the loop system. The large number of microphones used in Committee meetings, whether automated or operated by an engineer, help to keep the sound clear and maximise the quality of sound experienced by hearing aid users.</p><p> </p><p>For those with hearing impairments which do not require the use of a hearing aid, overall audibility in Committee Rooms 2A, 3A and 4A is generally good. In Committee rooms 1 to 4, however, factors such as high ceilings and furniture arrangements mean that the current acoustic set-up is sub-optimal. A facilities upgrade is currently being trialled in House of Commons Committee Room 6 and, subject to approval, House of Lords Committee rooms will also benefit from these improvements in due course. There are also plans to replace the speakers embedded in the benches within the Chamber next year, which should deliver improvements to general levels of audibility.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The business of the House is of course dependent upon Members, staff and visitors such as committee witnesses being able to hear and be heard, although the capacity to deliver improvements can sometimes be limited by the nature of operations in a building with heritage restrictions. Equality Impact Assessments will be carried out as part of the Restoration and Renewal process, during which extensive works are likely to offer the potential for further improvements to facilities. In the interim, the Director of Facilities would be happy to speak to any member with specific suggestions for improvement.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith question first answered 25/02/2019 17:21:43 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	1813 label Biography information for Lord Trefgarne