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1723957

registered interest
date	29/07/2024
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	Coastal Erosion
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of England's coastal flood defences.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency applies the same methodology for condition assessment and allocation of maintenance funding for all flood assets and does not differentiate between coastal and other assets.</p><p> </p><p>At the last Spending Review in 2021 the government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year. In 2023/24, £25 million was reallocated from the capital programme to fund maintenance, meaning that the total allocation for last year was over £220 million.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency visually inspects its assets to assess their condition. The results inform their expected performance when operated either on a daily basis or during a flood event. Our target based on available funding for 2024/25 is for 94.5% of high consequence assets to meet the target condition.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency plans to publish an updated national flood risk assessment in December 2024.</p> answering member printed Baroness Hayman of Ullock question first answered 05/08/2024 09:50:31 answering member 4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1723958

registered interest
date	29/07/2024
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	Flood Control: Somerset Levels
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the flood defences on the Somerset Levels.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/08/2024 answer text <p>The Somerset Levels and Moors is a man-made managed drainage system created over many centuries. The area has always been prone to flooding due to its low-lying nature, much of the land sitting below the highest tide levels, and having riverbanks raised above ground level.</p><p> </p><p>Following one of the wettest winters on record, flood risk assets in the Somerset Levels and Moors have, once again, been significantly tested. The Environment Agency (EA) routinely inspects its flood risk assets and undertakes additional post-incident inspections. It reports that 91% of those assets, in this area of interest, are at or above their specified condition.</p><p> </p><p>As with most winters, there are repairs required after high river levels and the associated overflow. The EA is delivering a programme of repairs to reinstate these damaged flood risk assets, bringing them back to target condition.</p> answering member printed Baroness Hayman of Ullock question first answered 07/08/2024 11:06:51 answering member 4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1723728

registered interest
date	25/07/2024
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Military Bases: Greater London
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of future use for the disused military barracks and drill hall at 76D Rochester Row, London SW1.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL353
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/08/2024 answer text <p>Rochester Row was identified for disposal under plans to achieve a more efficient, modern and capability focussed Defence estate. Army Reserve Estate Optimisation are engaging with the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (RFCA) to discuss the future plans for the site.</p><p> </p><p>Where sites are disposed of on the Volunteer Estate, receipts are reinvested to enable betterment at other Reserve locations across the country, supporting Homeland Resilience, National Defence and Mobilisation.</p> answering member printed Lord Coaker question first answered 07/08/2024 15:06:56 answering member 360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1723729

registered interest
date	25/07/2024
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Voting Rights: Bishops
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the right of Lords Spiritual to vote in general elections.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/08/2024 answer text <p>While the Lords Temporal are unable to vote at general elections to the House of Commons, this legal exclusion does not apply to the Lords Spiritual. In practice, however, it has long been the tradition that the Lords Spiritual do not vote at general elections.</p> answering member printed Baroness Twycross question first answered 07/08/2024 15:52:12 answering member 4966 label Biography information for Baroness Twycross
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1722217

registered interest
date	18/07/2024
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Age: Discrimination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of ageism in England and Wales; and whether it is decreasing or increasing.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL144
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2024 answer text <p>Age discrimination that cannot be objectively justified is unacceptable and unlawful across a range of fields under the Equality Act 2010. It is the strong protections in the 2010 Act that enable older people and their representatives to challenge such unlawful behaviour and ultimately seek redress in the courts or, in the case of older workers, an employment tribunal.</p><p>In addition, as regards to the public sector, the Public Sector Equality Duty places a duty on Government Departments, local authorities, the NHS and other bodies to have due regard to meeting equality requirements, including to eliminate unlawful age discrimination, where this is relevant to their policies and activities.</p><p>Age discrimination complaints to an Employment Tribunal stood at 2,434 in the year prior to the pandemic (2019/20) and fell slightly to 2080 in the 12 months to June 2023.</p> answering member printed Baroness Twycross grouped question UIN HL145 question first answered 01/08/2024 12:46:54 answering member 4966 label Biography information for Baroness Twycross
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1722218

registered interest
date	18/07/2024
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Age: Discrimination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of current legislation in combating ageism.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL145
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2024 answer text <p>Age discrimination that cannot be objectively justified is unacceptable and unlawful across a range of fields under the Equality Act 2010. It is the strong protections in the 2010 Act that enable older people and their representatives to challenge such unlawful behaviour and ultimately seek redress in the courts or, in the case of older workers, an employment tribunal.</p><p>In addition, as regards to the public sector, the Public Sector Equality Duty places a duty on Government Departments, local authorities, the NHS and other bodies to have due regard to meeting equality requirements, including to eliminate unlawful age discrimination, where this is relevant to their policies and activities.</p><p>Age discrimination complaints to an Employment Tribunal stood at 2,434 in the year prior to the pandemic (2019/20) and fell slightly to 2080 in the 12 months to June 2023.</p> answering member printed Baroness Twycross grouped question UIN HL144 question first answered 01/08/2024 12:46:54 answering member 4966 label Biography information for Baroness Twycross
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1700741

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Floods: Somerset
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Somerset Levels' resilience to flooding during the winter of 2023–24.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3780
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Catchments like the Brue on the Somerset Levels &amp; Moors have seen record breaking conditions. Hundreds of properties have been flooded across Somerset and the Lead Local Flood Authority (Somerset Council) is planning to publish 11 Section 19 flooding reports.</p><p>Protecting some communities on the Somerset Levels and Moors from flooding is reliant on careful management of water levels, the storage and pumping of water from the moors, mobilisation of enhanced pumping capacity as well as targeted water injection dredging and the delivery of further flood/drought risk management interventions. Continued operation and maintenance of flood risk structures and equipment is essential to manage the risk. Future investment needs to factor in climatic change and help reach net zero.</p><p>Led by the Environment Agency, tens of millions are being invested in flood storage reservoirs to ensure they are safe and the Bridgwater tidal barrier will reduce tidal flood risk to 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses. The detailed design is complete and enabling works are underway.</p><p>The natural geography of the Somerset Levels and Moors, in combination with climate change, indicates communities and businesses must remain prepared for flooding. The Somerset Rivers Authority Partnership, which has recently consulted on and published a new 10-year strategy, is helping Flood risk management authorities to work together so the Levels and Moors become a more climate resilient place.</p><p>The Government’s drive to tackle climate change, alongside exiting the EU is delivering an evolution of environmental, flood risk and farming policy. This change is presenting tangible economic and environmental opportunities for the communities living and working on the Levels and Moors in this pump drained landscape.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 24/04/2024 13:45:51 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1700742

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Hornets
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the spread of reported Asian hornet nesting sites in England since 2019.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>A risk assessment for Asian hornet was completed in 2011. The <a href="https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/RA_Vespa_velutina_Asian_Hornet.pdf" target="_blank">risk assessment</a> concluded that there were multiple pathways through which Asian hornet could arrive in England and therefore that entry was very likely. Several areas were identified where Asian hornet incursions were thought to be most likely and this included Southern English counties, coastal regions, open areas near fresh water and areas close to ports and airports.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2019 there have been 80 Asian hornet nests located and destroyed in Great Britain with 77 of these nests located in the South of England.</p><p> </p><p>In 2023 there was a large increase in the number of nests when compared to all previous years, with 72 nests located and destroyed. The majority of the nests were located in the South-East (62), while 8 were located in the South and South-West and 2 were located in the North of England.</p><p> </p><p>We ask all members of the public to be vigilant for sightings of Asian hornet during the peak season (June-October) as Asian hornets are known to be an effective hitch hiker and may be spotted anywhere across the country.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/04/2024 13:40:59 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon attachment 1 file name HL3781 attachment.pdf title Risk Assessment
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1700743

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Hornets
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the spread of Asian hornets on the welfare of (1) honey bees, and (2) other insect populations, in England; and what action they are taking to prevent the further spread of this invasive species.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government recognises the essential role played by honey bees and wild pollinators in our environment, acknowledging their contribution to crop pollination. Additionally, pollinators play a vital role in supporting the natural ecosystem.</p><p> </p><p>Asian hornets prey on honey bees and other pollinators so pose a significant threat to these insects. To date rapid action has been taken in the UK to find and destroy Asian hornet nests.</p><p> </p><p>In 2023 a total of 72 nests were located and destroyed, the majority of these were located in the South-East (62). The National Bee Unit (NBU), part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, rapidly located and destroyed the nests so we would expect any impacts on honey bee colonies and other pollinators to be small and localised.</p><p> </p><p>From the analysis of nests found in 2023, a number of areas were identified where there is a low risk that Asian hornet queens may have overwintered. To address this, the NBU is carrying out spring trapping and working collaboratively with stakeholders to monitor traps at locations across Kent, East Sussex, Devon and North Yorkshire.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to taking swift and effective contingency action against Asian hornet in 2024 thereby continuing to minimise the impacts on honey bees and other pollinators.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/04/2024 13:40:12 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1699239

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Scaffolding
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of occasions on which scaffolding around domestic and commercial buildings was erected illegally in England in the most recent year for which figures are available, and whether this figure is decreasing or increasing.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3629
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this data.</p> answering member printed Lord Johnson of Lainston question first answered 08/05/2024 14:49:27 answering member 4949 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Lainston
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten