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1175165

registered interest
date	21/01/2020
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	Assistance Animals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Equality Act 2010 to give the same rights to owners of emotional support animals as those who own certified assistance animals.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2020 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for their disabled users and customers so that they are not disadvantaged compared with people who are not disabled. This requirement includes permitting access to assistance dogs where reasonable. If a person meets the Act’s definition of disability and has an emotional support animal to help them manage that disability, they should ask the service provider to consider allowing access to the animal.</p><p>Other than in relation to taxis, the Equality Act does not refer to assistance dogs or any other specific form of support or facility for disabled people, because each reasonable adjustment must be considered on its merits and in the context of the particular circumstances of the case. We therefore have no plans to include emotional support dogs in the Act, as this would be at odds with the basic and long-standing basis of the legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/02/2020 11:36:15 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1175166

registered interest
date	21/01/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) year-on-year fall in the number of apprenticeships started by young people, and (2) the effectiveness of the Apprenticeship Levy.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Our reforms to apprenticeships have fundamentally changed what apprenticeships are and the long-term opportunities they provide for people of all ages and backgrounds.</p><p>The tables below show apprenticeships starts, by age, from 2015/16 to 2018/19, including the percentage change from 2015/16 to 2018/19 and the breakdown of frameworks and standards.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Age range</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Percentage change 2015/16 – 2018/19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Under 19</strong></p></td><td><p>131,400</p></td><td><p>122,800</p></td><td><p>106,600</p></td><td><p>97,700</p></td><td><p>-26%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>19 to 24</strong></p></td><td><p>153,900</p></td><td><p>142,200</p></td><td><p>113,700</p></td><td><p>116,000</p></td><td><p>-25%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>25+</strong></p></td><td><p>224,100</p></td><td><p>229,900</p></td><td><p>155,500</p></td><td><p>179,700</p></td><td><p>-20%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p>509,400</p></td><td><p>494,900</p></td><td><p>375,800</p></td><td><p>393,400</p></td><td><p>-23%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Type of apprenticeship</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Frameworks</strong></p></td><td><p>505,100</p></td><td><p>470,300</p></td><td><p>212,100</p></td><td><p>145,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Standards</strong></p></td><td><p>4,300</p></td><td><p>24,600</p></td><td><p>163,700</p></td><td><p>248,100</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The number of people starting apprenticeships has fallen across all age groups. A key reason for this is that we are moving away from old apprenticeship frameworks which employers said were not equipping apprentices to do the job; training was often poor or non-existent. As more standards have become available each year, the number of apprentices of all ages starting on standards has increased.</p><p>Employers are now in the driving seat, designing apprenticeship standards to give apprentices the skills that industry really needs. Over 63% of starts in 2018/19 were on standards, compared to 44% in 2017/18, and all starts will be on high quality standards from August 2020.</p><p> </p><p>To promote apprenticeships to younger people, we launched the third phase of our apprenticeships marketing campaign<strong>, </strong>Fire it Up, in January. The campaign shines a spotlight on how apprenticeships can provide opportunities for ambitious young people and support businesses to diversify their workforce. Our annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place in February and celebrate the impact of apprenticeships on individuals, employers and the economy.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019, we engaged with over 16,500 students in years 10 to 13, and 2,000 schools and colleges used the Apprenticeship Activity Pack for students. Throughout the year, our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme ensures that schools and colleges across England have free support to develop apprenticeship awareness activities.</p><p> </p><p>The apprenticeship levy underpins our reforms to increase the quality of training and to support employers of all sizes to make a sustainable investment in the skills they need to grow.</p><p>We have already made changes to the levy in response to our engagement with employers. In April 2019, we raised the cap on transfers to 25%. We have already seen employers making use of transfers to support apprenticeship starts in their supply chains or to meet local skills needs.</p><p> </p><p>In January, we extended the use of transfers to cover the full cost of training for 16 to 18-year-olds, eligible 19 to 24-year-olds and for receiving employers with fewer than 50 employees, creating opportunities for organisations who may have previously felt that employing an apprentice was beyond their reach. We are committed to continuing to look at how we can improve the working of the levy to ensure it delivers the skilled workforce that employers need.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 04/02/2020 17:53:17 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1149722

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Harassment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stop online (1) trolling, (2) harassment, and (3) cyberbullying; and what measures are in place to protect victims of such abuse.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL15
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2019 answer text <p>The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen by an independent regulator, which will have a range of enforcement powers.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the White Paper, the government published the Social Media Code of Practice. This voluntary guidance sets out actions that the Government believes social media platforms should take to prevent bullying, insulting, intimidating and humiliating behaviours on their sites.</p><p> </p><p>Government has also asked the Law Commission to conduct a second phase of its review of the legal framework around abusive and offensive communications online. This will make specific recommendations for legal reform and is due to report in early 2021. Alongside this, the Law Commission will also consider whether co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 23/10/2019 14:51:59 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1149723

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in ensuring the continuation of the provision of free TV licences for over-75s.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL16
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2019 answer text <p>The Digital Economy Act 2017 provides that the future of the concession is the responsibility of the BBC, not of the government.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and asked them to do more to help those affected by its decision.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 23/10/2019 14:52:42 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1144105

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Sentencing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that victims of domestic violence, following the sentencing of an offender, receive (1) the precise sentence outcome, (2) accurate and relevant information about the possible impact of a sentence, and (3) the date of an offenders bail and prison release, to ensure that safeguarding mechanisms can be put in place; and what plans they have to enable victims of such violence to appeal sentencing decisions.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL17593
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Under the Code of Practice for Victim’s of Crime, all victims have the right to be notified of the offender’s sentence and receive a short explanation about the meaning and effect of the sentence. We committed in the Victims Strategy published last year to review the process for informing victims of offenders’ sentences and what they mean and we are currently consulting on proposals for revising the code, which will be followed by a consultation on a draft revised code.</p><p> </p><p>The statutory National Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme is available to victims of violent and sexual offences, where the offender receives a sentence of 12 months or more. The Scheme provides victims with information and advice about the criminal justice process – including explaining the sentence to them and ensuring that they are informed of the offender’s release.</p><p> </p><p>In such cases, victims also have the statutory right to request conditions that can be attached to the offender's release licence. These can include a no contact condition, and an exclusion zone covering areas where the victim lives, works, or travels too frequently. The offender risks being recalled to prison should they breach any of their licence conditions.</p><p> </p><p>Offenders who have committed an eligible sexual or violent offence and sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment will be managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Under MAPPA, the Prison, Probation and Police Services are required to work together to assess and manage the risks presented by such offenders. Thus, the MAPPA plan for managing the risk to such offenders must include measures to protect previous victims from further harm.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) develop strategies to help and protect domestic abuse victims at high risk of murder or serious harm. Agencies including the Police, providers of probation services, health and child protection, as well as Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, share information and develop actions to protect the victim.</p><p> </p><p>In respect of appealing sentencing decisions, the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme enables anyone, including victims, the ability to ask the Attorney General to consider referring sentences for certain offences which he believes to be unduly lenient, to the Court of Appeal. The offences covered by the scheme are indictable only offences that are heard in the Crown Court, and certain triable either way offences when heard in the Crown Court. The scheme has a statutory 28-day time limit for referrals to be made. The scheme ensures there is a route for victims, their families, and the public, to question sentences imposed by the court for certain cases.</p><p> </p><p>If a case is referred, it will be a matter for the Court of Appeal to determine whether the sentence should remain as it is, be increased, or whether guidance should be issued for future cases.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:34:20 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1133034

registered interest
date	18/06/2019
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Measles
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address any increase in the number of people infected with measles; and whether they have any plans to introduce compulsory measles vaccinations for children before they start school.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL16452
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>Vaccinations in the United Kingdom are undertaken through informed consent. Although there has been a small decline in coverage in England since 2013, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine coverage through the routine programme (first dose given at one year and the second at three years and four months) remains high. Public Health England has said that the majority of recent measles cases are in those not eligible through this routine programme. A new MMR vaccine catch-up programme for 10- and 11-year olds that previously missed the MMR vaccine was introduced in April this year. In addition, the MMR vaccine can also be given on the National Health Service to children who missed routine vaccination and adults who may need it.</p><p>In January 2019, the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy was published. A multi-agency group has been established to take forward the actions in the strategy in England. Local teams are expected to work with local stakeholders to develop measles and rubella elimination action plans.</p><p>Public Health England monitors vaccine uptake and works with NHS England to increase uptake. This year, NHS England is undertaking a fundamental review of general practitioner vaccinations and immunisation standards, funding, and procurement. This will support the goal of improving immunisation coverage, using local coordinators to target variation and improve groups and areas with low vaccine uptake.</p> answering member printed Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford question first answered 02/07/2019 14:50:18 answering member 4019 label Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1110677

registered interest
date	09/04/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Automatic Number Plate Recognition
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology is used only to detect and deter criminal activity rather than to enable the generation of parking fines.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL15141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government has prohibited the use of CCTV and ANPR for local authority on-street parking enforcement since 2015 under the Deregulation Act 2015 and the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) General (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2015. For reasons of child safety and congestion management, parking restrictions near schools, on red routes, in bus lanes, and at bus stand clearways are exempt from this ban. As part of its work to improve the safety of cycling, the Government intends to introduce another exemption that will enable the use of approved camera devices for enforcing parking restrictions in mandatory cycle lanes.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 12/04/2019 10:06:54 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1110678

registered interest
date	09/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
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 rates of interest charged on student loans to ensure they properly reflect the Bank of England interest rate.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL15142
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>The system for setting interest rates on student loans is set out in The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009, as amended. The Department for Education sets the interest rate as instructed by the regulations.</p><p> </p><p>For post-2012 student loans, the department regularly monitors the interest rates set on student loans against the interest rates prevailing on the market. The most appropriate comparators for undergraduate student loans are the effective interest rates available on unsecured personal loans, as published by the Bank of England (data series CFMBJ77 and CFMBJ94). Both rates continue to be above the maximum interest rate charged on student loans.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 25/04/2019 14:52:48 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1110679

registered interest
date	09/04/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Knives: Sales
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the online sale of machetes in the UK.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL15143
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>In 2016, the Government agreed a set of commitments with major retailers to prevent the underage sales of knives, including machetes, in their stores and online. This also covered staff training, the display and packaging of knives. A number of major retailers have signed up to this, including Tesco, eBay UK, Lidl UK, Amazon UK, Wilko, Argos, Asda, Poundland, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, Waitrose, Boots, the Co-op, B&amp;Q, Aldi, TKMaxx and Debenhams. We continue to work with retailers to strengthen the agreement, including in relation to the display of these products in stores.</p><p><br>It is an offence to sell articles with a blade, which includes machetes, to a person under 18, whether that be face to face or online. In addition, the Offensive Weapons Bill will further strengthen the law, with specific new knives offences, including making it an offence to possess certain offensive weapons in private, and stopping bladed products being sent to residential addresses after they are bought online unless the seller has made arrangements with a delivery person or company not to hand that item over to a person under 18 at that address.</p><p>This means that businesses will still be able to sell and dispatch bladed products, which could include machetes, to residential addresses, but they will need to have the necessary arrangements in place to ensure that their products are not delivered into the hands of anyone aged under 18.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/04/2019 14:24:52 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady

1088557

registered interest
date	13/03/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Overseas Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to test the effectiveness of aid spending through the UK Official Development Assistance budget.
tabling member printed	Baroness Brady
uin	HL14517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>UK ODA is scrutinised by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), which focuses on the delivery of value for money and maximising the impact and effectiveness of UK aid. ICAI reports directly to Parliament through the International Development Committee (IDC) ensuring both independence and accountability of the ODA. The National Audit Office also scrutinises departmental spending including the effectiveness of ODA spending.</p><p> </p><p>As part of DFID’s programme approval process, an accredited Evaluation Advisor reviews the evaluation plan for the ongoing effectiveness of the programme. DFID reviews all programmes annually, providing an assessment of performance, ongoing relevance, value for money, lessons learned, and any remedial action required. Individual government departments are responsible for design, evaluation and governance of their Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget. However, DFID makes available some relevant evaluation tools to support other departments.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 25/03/2019 16:12:07 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4339 label Biography information for Baroness Brady