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1240129

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	NHS 111: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to launch an inquiry into (1) the impact of the suspension of nurses and allied health professionals from taking calls to the NHS 111 COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service, and (2) related safety issues identified through call audits of that service.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL8702
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of the response to COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time.</p><p>The COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service is regularly monitored and audited to ensure its safety and to safeguard the quality of clinical advice given to patients.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 20/10/2020 15:18:20 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1240131

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts and Legal Aid Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to increase the rate of legal aid fees paid to barristers, and (2) to reduce the backlog of cases in the magistrates' and Crown courts.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL8703
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>Criminal defence lawyers play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and the Government greatly values the work they do.</p><p> </p><p>In August we announced that we would be taking forward the policy proposals that practitioners told us mattered most for the Criminal Legal Aid Review (CLAR) accelerated areas. These areas were: unused material, cracked trials, paper-heavy cases, sending cases to the Crown Court, and pre-charge engagement. These policies allowed us to inject up to £51 million into criminal legal aid to further strengthen the market.</p><p>We also announced that the next phase of the review would include an independently led review of the market, to ensure it can meet demand now and into the future, provide an effective and efficient service that ensures value for money for the taxpayer.</p><p>With respect to the courts, as one of the first among other comparable jurisdictions globally to resume jury trials, our Crown Courts currently list thousands of cases each week. Since late July 2020, magistrates’ courts have been completing more cases than have been received. We expect the trend of reducing the outstanding work to continue.</p><p>We are also installing plexiglass screens into over 300 courtrooms and jury deliberation rooms enabling us to open safely 250 Crown Court rooms for jury trials by the end of October. We’re also investing record amounts - the biggest single investment in court estate maintenance for more than 20 years – and unlocking vital capacity by opening Nightingale Courts to provide extra court rooms.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 16:16:37 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1240132

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
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	Seabed: Bomb Disposal
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 use of low order deflagration to clear unexploded bombs from the seabed as a means of clearing bombs without damage to marine life.
tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
uin	HL8707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognise the potential for significant impact of underwater noise from unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance on vulnerable marine species and is taking active steps to manage and reduce the risk. Two phases of a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) funded project to characterize and contrast the acoustic fields generated by UXO clearance using high order detonation and using low-order deflagration have been completed and reported on.</p><p> </p><p>A third phase has now been initiated to further improve the information base, allowing further assessment of the clearance options. A potential 4th phase of the work involving offshore field work is also being actively explored in which comparative noise measurements would be made during actual UXO clearance campaigns using both deflagration and high order detonations. This would require cooperation and active support from industry (windfarm developers) and the regulatory authorities.</p><p> </p><p>The outcomes from the 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> phases would allow an informed discussion and consideration of the adequacy of evidence by regulatory authorities and the statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs). It will be for the regulatory authorities and the SNCBs to consider the best available scientific evidence when providing advice on these matters.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 19/10/2020 12:24:56 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

1240134

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Confucius Institutes
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 use of Confucius Institutes by the government of China.
tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
uin	HL8708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>Confucius Institutes are affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Education, and the programme is overseen by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (referred to as Hanban), which is a Chinese Government entity. Their stated aim is to promote Chinese language and culture and promote cultural exchanges internationally. Concerns have been raised in a number of countries about the impact of Confucius Institutes on academic freedom at host institutions.</p><p>UK higher education providers that host Confucius Institutes are responsible for ensuring their partnerships are managed appropriately with the right due diligence in place. The Government will continue to support the sector to promote mutually beneficial international partnerships in line with UK values. As the Minister for Asia, Nigel Adams MP, made clear in a Westminster Hall Debate on 7 October, we will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with academic freedom or freedom of speech and encourage any institutions concerned about their international collaborations to contact the Government.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/10/2020 15:10:02 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

1240135

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
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	United Kingdom Internal Market Bill
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill.
tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
uin	HL8709
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>UK Government Ministers and officials have been open to engaging with all devolved administrations following the publication of the UK Internal Market Bill on 9 September, with discussions held both before and after publication.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 19/10/2020 14:40:53 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

1240137

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Aviation: EU Law
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 September (HL7613), what challenges have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans, if any, they have to introduce legislation before 31 December to ensure that passengers are protected from losses resulting from flight cancellations after the transition period has ended.
tabling member printed	Lord Bowness
uin	HL8710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The pandemic has caused major disruption in the travel sector and the ability of consumers to travel. After the end of the EU Exit transition period, the Air Passenger Rights Regulations will be retained in domestic law and will therefore continue to apply.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 19/10/2020 15:44:59 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	3496 label Biography information for Lord Bowness

1240138

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Aviation: Compensation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK citizens will be able to enforce their rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 after 31 December without new domestic legislation.
tabling member printed	Lord Bowness
uin	HL8711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>EU261 rules apply until the end of the EU Exit transition period. After that point, those rules will be retained in domestic law and will therefore continue to apply.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 19/10/2020 15:46:14 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	3496 label Biography information for Lord Bowness

1240140

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Rule of Law
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 30 September (HL8064), whether they plan to provide guidance to the courts on how to handle cases where a defendant cites the United Kingdom Internal Market Act as a precedent for breaking the law in a specific and limited way which should be acquitted without penalty.
tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
uin	HL8725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to issue guidance to the courts on this matter.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 19/10/2020 16:03:16 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1240141

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Environment Bill
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 regulatory gap that would occur as a result of the Environment Bill not being enacted by 1 January 2021; and what steps they plan to take to ensure there is continuity in the transfer of EU protections into UK law during any such gap.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
uin	HL8726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 will make sure all existing EU environmental law continues to operate in UK law at the end of the transition period, providing businesses and stakeholders with certainty. We have a long history of environmental protection supported by a strong legal framework which predates membership of the EU, and we will safeguard and improve on this record.</p><p> </p><p>As regards scrutiny of the implementation of environmental measures, the Government intends to bring the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) into operation in 2021. The delay to the Environment Bill due to Covid-19 means it will not be formally established by the beginning of the year. However, an interim secretariat will support the OEP Chair and will receive complaints about alleged failures of public authorities to comply with environmental law from the start of next year. This will be in place until the OEP can begin its statutory functions. Once established, the OEP will then be able to use its legal powers to investigate complaints reported to the interim team from 1 January 2021, and could take enforcement action against serious failures if necessary. As a result, there will be no gap in time where public authorities cannot be held to account.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 19/10/2020 16:04:27 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1240143

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Office for Environmental Protection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect that the Office for Environmental Protection will be fully operational; and what its budget allocation will be from 1 January 2021.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
uin	HL8727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government still intends to bring the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) into operation in 2021, but due to the pause in the Environment Bill’s passage and the wider context of Covid-19, we cannot yet confirm exactly when the OEP will start. We will implement transitional arrangements, with a secretariat to support the OEP chair currently being sought in a public appointment campaign. This will be in place from the start of next year until the OEP can begin its statutory functions.</p><p> </p><p>Defra will agree with HM Treasury a budget that will be ring-fenced for each spending review period, giving the OEP greater certainty over its finances. The budget will be announced as soon as possible after the Environment Bill achieves Royal Assent.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 19/10/2020 16:05:19 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch