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172629

registered interest
date	07/01/2015
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Government Departments: Unpaid Work
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many internships are offered by each government department.
tabling member printed	Lord Storey
uin	HL3963
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p>Data is not held centrally on internships offered by individual Departments; however a number of internship programmes are run centrally by Civil Service Resourcing. Details of these programmes and the targeted groups are listed online.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/civil-service-fast-stream-summer-diversity-internship-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/civil-service-fast-stream-summer-diversity-internship-programme</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/civil-service-fast-stream-early-diversity-internship-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/civil-service-fast-stream-early-diversity-internship-programme</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.socialmobility.org.uk/programmes/residential-programmes/whitehall-residential-programme/" target="_blank">http://www.socialmobility.org.uk/programmes/residential-programmes/whitehall-residential-programme/</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 12/01/2015 14:41:13 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

172630

registered interest
date	07/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
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 effects of the 2014 European Union Procurement Directives on the existing system that provides educational, care and health support for children who require places in special schools.
tabling member printed	Lord Storey
uin	HL3964
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their own compliance with procurement rules and all other relevant legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education recently sought legal advice on the relationship and interaction between the duties on local authorities in respect of the placement of children and young people with special educational needs in specialist educational institutions and local authority obligations to tender for services under the public procurement regime and are awaiting a response. In the light of the legal advice the Department receives, we will communicate with local authorities by the spring so they are clear on the position.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Nash question first answered 13/01/2015 12:16:42 answering member 4270 label Biography information for Lord Nash
tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

172647

registered interest
date	07/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Ofsted Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2013–14, with respect especially to (1) secondary schools (a) tolerating bad behaviour, (b) failing to challenge the most able, and (c) providing inadequate careers guidance, and (2) further education institutions (a) showing weakness in the teaching of English and mathematics, and (b) failing to provide useful careers advice<i>.</i>
tabling member printed	Lord Quirk
uin	HL3981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>We welcome Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector’s report which highlights continuing improvement in schools and further education. The report shows that there are now over a million more children being taught in good and outstanding schools than in 2010. The Chief Inspector is right to highlight areas which require further improvement and these matters will form part of the regular discussion between ministers and Ofsted. As part of its role, the Commons Education Select Committee will be taking evidence from the Chief Inspector about the Annual Report at its hearing on 28 January 2015 and we will consider the evidence from that session as part of our ongoing discussions with the Chief Inspector. As a government we are committed to ensuring high standards in schools across the country.</p> answering member printed Lord Nash question first answered 13/01/2015 14:27:12 answering member 4270 label Biography information for Lord Nash
tabling member	3254 label Biography information for Lord Quirk

172653

registered interest
date	07/01/2015
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	Israel
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding compensation for the uprooting of 5,000 olive trees in agricultural lands east of Turmusayya.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL3987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, however we hold the Israeli authorities responsible for enforcing the rule of law and to provide the appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. We note the particular sensitivities around olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. The Palestinian economy needs a productive olive industry. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 13/01/2015 14:06:36 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

172654

registered interest
date	07/01/2015
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	Middle East
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what position the United Kingdom took at the Conference of Parties to the Geneva Convention held in Geneva on 17 December 2014, and whether they made a statement following that Conference.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL3988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to the promotion of compliance with International Humanitarian Law and upholding the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. The UK did not issue a national statement following the conference on 17 December in Geneva. However, we stressed the importance of the conference taking a balanced and non- politicised approach. We also agreed an EU statement, which calls on all sides to fully and effectively respect the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 13/01/2015 14:09:38 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

172295

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
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 what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to sign up to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3878
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3879 HL3880 question first answered 13/01/2015 14:37:17 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172296

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
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 on what criteria they based their estimate that the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme would support several hundred refugees over three years.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3879
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3878 HL3880 question first answered 13/01/2015 14:37:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172297

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
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 what plans they have to review the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme in the light of the call by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 100,000 further humanitarian admission places in 2015 and 2016.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3878 HL3879 question first answered 13/01/2015 14:37:17 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172298

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
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 what steps they are taking regularly to review the number of people offered resettlement places in the United Kingdom under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to ensure that the scheme is responsive to need.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 13/01/2015 14:36:07 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172311

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
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	Social Security Benefits: Fraud
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 quality of service and value-for-money provided by Capita in operating the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.
tabling member printed	Lord Ashcroft
uin	HL3894
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p>The National Benefit Fraud Hotline is one of 10 service lines delivered by Capita on behalf of DWP as part of the Network Services Directorate Call Off. There are multiple performance requirements within the contract to assure DWP that Capita are delivering a quality value for money service, the key ones being that Capita answer 90% of customer calls offered to them, and that they maintain a quality score of 89% for these calls against key quality criteria. These requirements are consistent with those in in-house DWP contact centres.</p><p> </p><p>Capita are consistently achieving both of the above metrics with calls answered scores as high as 98% and quality scores as high as 97% in recent weeks.</p><p> </p><p>DWP regularly audit the Capita quality team and undertake activities to ensure that scoring is in alignment with that of DWP.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 12/01/2015 15:15:05 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2568 label Biography information for Lord Ashcroft