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62525

registered interest
date	18/06/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Elections: 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 rates of (1) misuse of postal votes, and (2) voting fraud, in the light of the recent local elections and the European Parliamentary elections.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>The integrity of our elections is central to our democracy. The introduction of Individual Electoral Registration will make the electoral register more accurate and secure.</p><p>The Government will carefully consider any findings by the Electoral Commission in relation to the elections held on 22 May 2014 to determine whether any further measures may be needed to support electoral integrity.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 23/06/2014 16:32:46 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

61253

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
answering body	The Lord Chairman of Committees
answering dept id	200
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Chairman of Committees (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords: Security
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will initiate a debate in the House of Lords before any decision is taken to privatise the security arrangements of the House.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL213
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p>The following information about decisions on the new security contract arrangements was published in March 2014:</p><p>“In March 2015, the current contract with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to provide armed protection, policing and security officer functions will expire. Over the last year, the Security Arrangements Renewal Programme (SARP) Board has been working to analyse options and make a recommendation on new contract arrangements to be introduced next year. That recommendation was endorsed by the Lords House Committee and the Commons Commission.</p><p>The agreed recommendation is that the two Houses should renegotiate with the MPS to continue to provide security officer functions, armed protection and policing, whilst moving the provision of the search and screening function for the three main public entrances (Black Rod's Garden, Cromwell Green and Portcullis House) to a specialist commercial provider. The Clerk of the House and the Clerk of the Parliaments have now written to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner requesting new arrangements from 2015, and a commercial procurement for search and screening will start soon.</p><p>This is a major contract for Parliament, both in terms of its financial value and its central role in ensuring the security of parliamentarians, employees and visitors to the Parliamentary Estate. As well as continuing to benefit from the expertise and experience of the Metropolitan Police officers and staff, new search and screening arrangements at the busiest public entrances will be better able to provide the greater flexibility and scalability needed to meet Parliament's changing requirements for public access”.</p><p>Discussions with the Metropolitan Police Service on future arrangements are continuing. Security matters are not discussed on the floor of the House and the House Committee has agreed to the initial approach taken by the Security Arrangements Renewal Programme Board. That Committee will be further consulted during the process. I have no plans to initiate a debate on the floor of the House.</p> answering member printed Lord Sewel question first answered 18/06/2014 17:07:15 answering member 2124 label Biography information for Lord Sewel
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

61254

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Taxation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any estimate of the likely financial consequences for taxpayers over the official retirement age of any merger of income tax and national insurance contributions into a single tax; and, if so, what was that estimate.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL214
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>As set out by the Chancellor at Autumn Statement 2012, the Government will wait for further progress on planned operational changes to the tax system before formally consulting on the operational integration of income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The scope for the consultation was originally set out by the Chancellor at Budget 2011, and made it clear that the Government will not extend NICs to individuals above State Pension Age nor to other forms of income such as pensions, savings and dividends.</p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 23/06/2014 16:33:47 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

61255

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Constituencies: Scotland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the event that Scottish voters opt for an independent Scotland, what plans they have in relation to the status of Scottish constituencies at the 2015 general election.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL215
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>If the people of Scotland vote to leave the UK, the UK would continue in its current form and with its existing Parliament, laws, institutions and responsibilities for governing Scotland up to the point that independence were given legal effect, unless the UK Parliament were to pass legislation to change existing arrangements. It would be for the UK Parliament to determine, in the event of a ‘yes' vote, what, if any changes should be made to existing arrangements.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 23/06/2014 16:20:06 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

61256

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Charities
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 13 May (WA 467), whether the annual gross income of charities included contributions from central government; and, if so, what was their total contribution.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL216
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>Central government does contribute to the total income of registered charities, but the Charity Commission does not keep figures on this. According to the 2014 UK Voluntary Sector Almanac, published by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, in 2011/12 voluntary sector organisations received over £5.9 billion of central government and NHS funding.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 23/06/2014 16:33:16 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

61257

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Revenue and Customs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to bring their proposals to give HM Revenue and Customs power to remove money from bank accounts without prior judicial process for consideration or agreement by the House of Lords; and, if so, how.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL217
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>The Government is consulting on the Direct Recovery of Debts until 29th July. This policy will modernise and strengthen HMRC's ability to recover tax and tax credit debts from those who are refusing to pay what they owe but have sufficient funds in their accounts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government intends to publish a response document and draft legislation later this year. This draft legislation will be consulted on before it is included in next year's Finance Bill, where it will be subject to the usual Parliamentary scrutiny.</p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 23/06/2014 16:29:56 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

60572

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
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	Agriculture: Subsidies
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Newby on 6 May (WA 314), what is their estimate of the average additional weekly cost of food to United Kingdom families arising from membership of the Common Agricultural Policy.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>As stated in the previous response to WA 314, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) calculates the annual monetary value of gross transfers from EU consumers arising from policies underpinning the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The OECD estimates that EU consumers faced higher food prices equivalent to approximately €16 billion in 2012. This equates to 4% of consumption expenditure on agricultural commodities (at farm gate prices), and compares to an average 71% in the late 1980s.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Agricultural commodity prices are a key factor in determining food retail prices but other factors are also important, such as energy prices and exchange rates. Therefore the impact of CAP on consumers' weekly cost of food will be less than the 4% figure reported above.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There is no agreed OECD methodology to disaggregate estimates to individual EU member states, so these figures are not available at the UK level.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 18/06/2014 17:09:07 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

60573

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
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	EU Enlargement
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister's comments in Brussels on 27 May that Brussels was "too big and too busy" indicate that they intend to oppose any further expansion of the European Union.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p>The Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron)'s comment was that Brussels is “too big and too bossy”. He was referring to the need for the EU to reform to become less interfering and more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable. He was not pronouncing on the EU's territorial size.</p><p>The UK continues to be a strong supporter of enlargement based on firm but fair conditionality, focussing on key concerns shared by many Member States, particularly around the rule of law. Enlargement has proved a huge driver of peace, prosperity and progress across our continent.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 17/06/2014 15:47:20 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

60575

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Financial Services: Taxation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the dismissal of the United Kingdom's challenge to the proposed financial transaction tax at the European Court of Justice, whether they have any plans to re-examine the extent of European Union competence in respect of United Kingdom taxation; and whether they consider that the application of such a tax would trigger a referendum under the terms of the European Union Act 2011.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>The Court of Justice of the European Union ruling on 30 April deemed the UK challenge to the FTT was premature, but confirmed that the Government could challenge a future FTT Implementing Directive.</p><p> </p><p>The introduction of the FTT under the Enhanced Cooperation Procedure would not be a relevant transfer of sovereignty or power for the purpose of the “referendum lock” in the UK's EU Referendum Act.</p><p> </p><p>The extent of European Union competence in respect of United Kingdom taxation was set out in the Balance of Competences Review, published 22 July 2013, and available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/taxation-report-review-of-the-balance-of-competences" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/taxation-report-review-of-the-balance-of-competences</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 23/06/2014 16:23:04 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

60576

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that the European Union Fourth Railway Package is likely to preclude nationalisation or re-nationalisation of national railways as a whole or in part.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p>The proposals published by the European Commission on 30 January 2013 would, if adopted, strengthen requirements for the formal separation of infrastructure manager and train operator responsibilities. The proposals make no assumption about the status of the infrastructure manager. They do, however, require the competitive tendering of rail public service contracts in most circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>There is no particular bar on public companies competing for such tenders, and exemptions to tendering are proposed for small networks and in emergency situations.</p><p> </p><p>The Italian Council Presidency (Jul-Dec 2014) intends to start Member State level Working Groups about the market opening proposals in July. As these proposals are still under discussion it is too early to say what we think the effect is likely to be.</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 16/06/2014 11:18:01 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon