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174280

registered interest
date	16/01/2015
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Public Sector: Property
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy position on the disposal of property assets by local authorities, fire authorities and combined authorities.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2015 answer text <p>This Government has actively encouraged councils to make better use of their property assets, including selling surplus property, in order to free up brownfield land and to generate broader savings. Indeed, councils are sitting on £2.5 billion of surplus operational assets according to their own returns (source: DCLG, <em>Local Government Finance Statistics England</em>, June 2014).</p><p>Legally, the framework for the disposal of assets by local authorities, fire authorities and combined authorities is set out in the Local Government Act 1972. The legislation gives authorities the power to dispose of land as they see fit and for the best price reasonably obtainable. Local authorities are not always obliged to sell assets to the highest bidder. In certain circumstances they are free to accept a lower offer where the lower price is offset by wider public benefits. This is set out in the General Disposal Consent which permits local authorities to make disposals at less than best consideration without reference to the Secretary of State provided the undervalue does not exceed £2 million. In cases where a proposed disposal is not covered by this general consent an authority would have to apply to the Secretary of State for a specific consent. Each application is considered on its own merits.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/01/2015 17:16:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

174101

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Office of Rail Regulation
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 effectiveness of the Office of Rail Regulation.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4204
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament. The Secretary of State appoints the Chair and other board members and Ministers and Department for Transport officials meet regularly with ORR to discuss a wide range of issues including regulatory matters and railway performance.</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 21/01/2015 11:59:39 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

174102

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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 what assessment they have made of the responsiveness of the Train Operating Companies to the needs of passengers.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4205
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>The National Rail Passenger Survey consults more than 50,000 passengers a year to produce the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) - a network-wide picture of passengers' satisfaction with rail travel. This survey measures Passengers' overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service can, therefore, be compared over time.</p><p> </p><p>The new approach to rail franchising - as launched by the Secretary of State in March 2013 - is designed to see the interests of passengers strengthened. Since the new programme was launched, passenger satisfaction requirements (based upon the NRPS) have been included in franchises. And when evaluating bids for franchises, credit is given for non-financial factors, which includes initiatives to improve the quality of service to passengers.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 22/01/2015 11:47:12 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

174103

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business: Loans
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are proposing in relation to banks that have missold business loans to customers.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4206
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2015 answer text <p>Business lending is not, and never has been, within the scope of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) conduct rules. The position that has traditionally been taken in the UK is that the terms and conditions of contracts between businesses (e.g. loans) are not generally prescribed by government. The government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that would ultimately lead to higher costs for businesses customer.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>However, the smaller end of the business community does receive regulatory protection. In the UK, loans to the smallest businesses (sole traders, partnerships consisting of 2 or 3 partners and unincorporated businesses) of less than £25,000 are treated as regulated consumer credit agreements (CCAs).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This protects consumers, typically in their dealings with banks where there is the potential for consumer detriment. Around three quarters of the 4.8 million UK SMEs are sole traders, partnerships consisting of 2 or 3 partners and unincorporated businesses.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For those loans which are not treated as CCA loans, there is also a clear route of recourse for businesses that feel they have been mis-sold a business loan to pursue. A business’ first recourse should be to its bank’s customer complaints department. This is a route that has been taken by a number of customers. The FCA’s rules require the banks to properly investigate all complaints and, through ongoing supervision, it continues to monitor the banks’ complaint handling process.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, micro businesses with a turnover of less than 2 million Euros and fewer than 10 employees have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS is an independent, non-governmental body, established under statute to provide for the proportionate, prompt and informal resolution of complaints against financial services firms. It provides a free, independent dispute resolution service for bank customers and has a special team looking at this issue. Its decisions are binding on the firm concerned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Beyond this, businesses are expected to be responsible for ensuring that contracts they make with other businesses are in their interest. However, if a business believes a bank has acted unlawfully, they can seek to take action through the courts</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 29/01/2015 15:38:46 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

174104

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Turkey
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of the situation of human rights in Turkey.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>We and our EU partners monitor closely the human rights situation in Turkey. The UK supports the EU Commission’s assessment of human rights in Turkey, given in its 2014 Annual Progress Report on Turkey’s EU accession. In 2014, Turkey made progress on its human rights reform agenda and adopted an Action Plan for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations. Turkey also continued to build the capacity of its human rights institutions. We welcome this progress and the continuing efforts of the Turkish government aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue.</p><p>However, as the EU’s report has underlined, there is still much to do to implement action plans, strengthen further the human rights institutional framework, and bring Turkish human rights legislation in line with European and international standards, including on rights for minority religious and ethnic groups.</p><p>The report also highlighted areas of concern over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, the rule of law, and restrictions on the freedom of expression, including temporary bans on social media imposed by the Turkish government. We will continue to work with our EU partners and international institutions, such as the EU and Council of Europe, to support Turkey in its continuing reform agenda.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 22/01/2015 15:57:16 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

174105

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	Sri Lanka
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4208
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>We continue to have a number of serious concerns about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, such as the harassment of human rights defenders and activists, and attacks on religious minorities. President Sirisena has pledged to lead a more democratic and accountable government, including restoring the independence of the police and judiciary, ensuring electoral reforms, and protecting the rights and freedoms of all religions in Sri Lanka. We welcome these early commitments.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 23/01/2015 12:39:14 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

172708

registered interest
date	08/01/2015
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railway Stations
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 way Network Rail manages station rebuilding projects.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4028
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>Network Rail is responsible for managing a large number of station rebuilding projects. The scope and scale of these works vary from relatively minor works to very large scale projects such as London King’s Cross or Birmingham New Street. The amount of assessment will similarly vary depending upon the scale of the project concerned. For the larger schemes it is usual for the Department for Transport to appoint a scheme sponsor. These sponsors are in regular contact with Network Rail to undertake assurance activity around delivery.</p><p> </p><p>In addition the Office of Rail Regulation undertakes regular reviews of Network Rail’s delivery against its Business Plan commitments, and this will include station rebuilding projects.</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 15/01/2015 12:18:04 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

172709

registered interest
date	08/01/2015
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are supporting National Voter Registration Day.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4029
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>I refer the noble peer to the answer I gave to Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 12 January, <em>Official Report</em>, Column WA231.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 22/01/2015 17:09:42 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

172710

registered interest
date	08/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Credit Unions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in enabling credit unions to offer services to members of Her Majesty's Forces and their families.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4030
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in the House of Commons by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Anna Soubry) on 8 December 2014 to Question number 216988 to the hon. Member for Harrow West (Gareth Thomas).</p><p> </p><p>http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2014-12-03/216988/</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 15/01/2015 17:26:30 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever attachment 1 file name HOC 216988.doc title Hansard Extract 8 December 2014
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

172711

registered interest
date	08/01/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit Unions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to changing the Common Bond of geographical credit unions from potential to actual members.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL4031
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>On 31 December 2014 the government published a response to the Call for Evidence on Credit Unions. In this response the government committed to considering potential changes to credit union legislation, including to the Common Bond, in the next parliament.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 22/01/2015 16:53:12 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark