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1681741

registered interest
date	11/01/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Empty Property
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to give local councils more powers to deal with empty homes and reduce the waiting list for council housing.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1538
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>The UK Government wants to encourage empty homes back into use, and empower local leaders to invest in their communities. Local authorities already have many powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes and it is right that local leaders decide how to use those tools to meet local housing needs. It is for local authorities to decide when to use their powers to deal with empty properties, and they have the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities and allocate their resources accordingly.</p><p>Local authorities have a range of powers and incentives at their disposal to bring empty homes back into use. These include, Empty Dwelling Management Orders, council tax exemptions and premiums, enforced sales, compulsory purchase, and measures to secure the improvement of empty properties. A range of other initiatives and incentives are aimed at reducing the number of empty properties, including the sale of empty Government owned homes and planning measures.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 24/01/2024 16:32:02 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1681742

registered interest
date	11/01/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Mortgages: Interest Rates
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent cuts to mortgage rates announced by lenders; and what assessment they have made of the prospects of further reductions to mortgage rates in the near future.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>Inflation reduces real incomes, creates uncertainty, and threatens our growth outlook so it’s essential that the government continues with its efforts to drive it down and not fuel it further.</p><p> </p><p>The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control.</p><p> </p><p>While the pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, our plan is working, and the average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates have now fallen from their peak in Summer 2023.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 24/01/2024 17:45:51 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1681743

registered interest
date	11/01/2024
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	Small Businesses: Government Assistance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support small firms struggling financially as a result of adverse economic conditions.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving economic growth. The Department for Business and Trade continues to deliver over 40 support schemes that help businesses start, grow and export. At the Autumn Statement, my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor announced further support for SMEs over the next five years. This support can be accessed through local Growth Hubs, Help to Grow and a dedicated Business Support Helpline. In addition, The British Business Bank improves access to finance to help businesses invest and grow. It currently supports over £12.<ins class="ministerial">4</ins><del class="ministerial">2</del>bn of finance to over 9<ins class="ministerial">0</ins><del class="ministerial">6</del>,000 <ins class="ministerial">businesses</ins><del class="ministerial">SMEs</del>.</p> answering member printed Lord Offord of Garvel question first answered 23/01/2024 17:07:40 question first ministerially corrected 09/02/2024 12:23:39 answering member 4931 label Biography information for Lord Offord of Garvel previous answer version 13163 answering member printed Lord Offord of Garvel answering member 4931 label Biography information for Lord Offord of Garvel
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1681394

registered interest
date	10/01/2024
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public Sector: Technology
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the wrongful convictions that occurred as a result of faulty Post Office Horizon software, what plans they have to integrate advanced oversight technologies that ensure accuracy and reliability of software used in public service systems to prevent any future issues.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1482
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>This was one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history, which is why we set up an independent inquiry to establish culpability and are bringing forward legislation to make sure those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is right that we do not pre-empt the conclusions of the ongoing, formal inquiry, but once the full facts are established we will consider all options.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, established in April 2021 to lead the Government’s Digital and Data Function, is the strategic centre for digital transformation which includes measuring services against digital and technical standards.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>CDDO is defining best practice patterns and practices for software delivery to ensure high quality software delivery via the automation and regular testing of software quality throughout development. Use of ‘oversight technologies’ such as automated testing would follow user technology good practice, user needs and the risk profile of the system.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In addition to the software testing, a core requirement of the development process, the Service Assessment Model assesses newly created services, checking for evidence that departments are regularly monitoring and mitigating quality and reliability issues.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 24/01/2024 15:40:04 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1681395

registered interest
date	10/01/2024
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	Manufacturing Industries
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the UK's advantages as a location for manufacturing operations.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1483
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2024 answer text <p>UK is a strong global hub for advanced and technology-driven manufacturing, with the fastest productivity growth in the G7 between 2010-2021 overtaking France to become the world’s 8<sup>th </sup>largest manufacturing nation.</p><p> </p><p>The Advanced Manufacturing Plan, provides a package of measures to make UK manufacturing even more competitive, including: a £4.5bn package to 2030, tax cuts, business environment measures and initiatives to increase resilience including the UK Battery Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>The plan builds on significant recent successes, including Tata’s investment of over £4 billion in a new 40 GWh gigafactory, and a £2 billion Nissan led investment to produce electric vehicles in Sunderland.</p> answering member printed Lord Johnson of Lainston question first answered 25/01/2024 16:54:13 answering member 4949 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Lainston
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1681396

registered interest
date	10/01/2024
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Public Service Broadcasting: Equality
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase (1) racial, and (2) gender, diversity in senior management positions in public service broadcasters other than the BBC.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>His Majesty’s Government remains committed to ensuring that the broadcasting sector – including our public service broadcasters – is representative of the country in which we live, and offers equality of opportunity to people of all backgrounds.</p><p>Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to employment in the broadcasting sector.</p><p>Responsibility for the appointment of senior managers sits with individual broadcasters. HM Government welcomes the work being done by them and other industry participants to improve diversity at senior levels.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 24/01/2024 12:26:58 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1679262

registered interest
date	19/12/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Homelessness
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the rise in homelessness.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1366
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/01/2024 answer text <p>We are providing over £1 billion to local authorities through the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years, including a £109 million top-up this year. This funding can be used to offer financial support for people to find a new home or to work with landlords to prevent evictions, or to provide temporary accommodation where needed. In his Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced additional UK-wide funding of £120 million to help councils address Ukraine and homelessness pressures in 2024/25.</p><p>The Government is also increasing the Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of market rents from April. This will mean 1.6 million low-income households will be around £800 a year better off on average in 2024-25 and will make it more affordable for families on benefits to rent properties in the private rented sector.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 02/01/2024 09:38:14 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1679263

registered interest
date	19/12/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Carbon Emissions: Taxation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the new carbon import levy scheduled for 2027 (1) balances the protection of domestic businesses against cheaper imports; and (2) fosters international cooperation to address global emissions.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2023 answer text <p>The purpose of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is to mitigate the risk of carbon leakage; the movement of production and associated emissions from one country to another due to different levels of decarbonisation effort through carbon pricing and climate regulation. This is necessary to avoid a situation where the UK’s decarbonisation efforts simply displace emissions overseas, rather than leading to a true reduction in global emissions. The CBAM will ensure that imported goods from relevant sectors pay a comparable carbon price to domestic goods.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside taking domestic action, the UK and many others around the world are working to reduce that risk by fostering international cooperation to address global emissions from some of the hardest to abate sectors.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is taking practical action through several global initiatives. This includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The inclusive and cooperative international Climate Club, which launched at COP28, whose collective membership represents over 60% of global iron, steel and cement exports.</li><li>Engaging closely with the OECD on its work through the Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA) to consider the effectiveness of carbon intensity metric methodologies and how governments can use this effectively in policy making.</li><li>Providing £130m of UK International Climate Finance to support more ambitious carbon pricing, and to enhance the integrity of the international carbon market, using new and innovative approaches that reduce emissions and leverage investment.</li><li>Supporting several initiatives to increase adoption of carbon pricing including the Partnership for Market Implementation fund; International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) and Canada’s Global Carbon Pricing Challenge.</li><li>Fostering global cooperation on industrial decarbonisation through the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) and the Breakthrough Agenda.</li></ul><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 21/12/2023 14:41:45 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1679264

registered interest
date	19/12/2023
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	Equal Pay
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) mitigate pay gaps, and (2) promote fair compensation practices, within large companies.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to reducing unfair pay disparities and ensuring everyone is able to succeed in their career.</p><p> </p><p>Under this Government the gender pay gap has narrowed significantly, having fallen by approximately a quarter in the last decade. In 2017, we introduced regulations requiring large employers to publish gender pay gap data every year, ensuring employers are aware of their gaps and take steps to close them.</p><p> </p><p>To accelerate progress we have supported legislation to: enhance flexible working, extend redundancy protection for those on maternity leave, introduce carers leave, and, strengthen the protections against harassment in the workplace.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published guidance for employers on ethnicity pay reporting in April 2023, which sets out best practice on measuring, analysing and reporting ethnicity pay gaps. We are supporting employers who wish to measure their pay gaps and are identifying examples of good practice.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of supporting fair compensation practices, the National Living Wage will be increasing by a record cash amount in April – from £10.42 to £11.44 an hour. Through this, the Government protects the lowest paid in society, with women and people from an ethnic minority background among those more likely to benefit.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 05/01/2024 11:19:56 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1678728

registered interest
date	18/12/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure an agreement with parties in Northern Ireland regarding trading arrangements between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, and what assessment they have made of the consequential impact for the United Kingdom as a whole.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1306
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/01/2024 answer text <p>The Government has engaged extensively with relevant stakeholders in Northern Ireland and has sought to address the specific concerns of the DUP prior to and during negotiations to facilitate the return of devolved governments. These discussions have focussed, in the main, on strengthening Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market. As outlined by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the 19th December, from the Government’s perspective, the talks on all the issues of substance have effectively been concluded. The Government now stands ready to introduce a package of measures that have been worked on together should the DUP reach a decision to proceed.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 04/01/2024 15:44:02 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick