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170274

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Electoral Register: Young People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are in place to increase the proportion of young people under 25 registered to vote in the 2015 General Election.
tabling member printed	Lord Storey
uin	HL3770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government has introduced online registration in Great Britain. Young people are one of the biggest users of on-line registration to date and over 852,595 have applied to register to vote since June.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On 9 January Government announced that almost £10 million will be given to local authorities and to national activity to boost the number of people registering to vote around the country. This is in addition to the £4.2 million announced last year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Up to £2.5 million will be used to fund wider activity, including working with national organisations to encourage groups who are not as well represented on the electoral register in general, such as young people including students.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 16/01/2015 13:51:53 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

170069

registered interest
date	12/12/2014
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	Parking: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by the RAC Foundation <i>Local Authority Parking Finances in England 2013/14</i>, what assessment they have made of English local authorities' income from off- and on-street car parking operations to ensure they are not making excessive profits.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL3704
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>The figures published by the RAC Foundation are based on data returns published by my Department. Council returns’ suggest that profit (“net income”) on parking services was £635 million in 2013-14. Penalty charge income from on-street parking was £343 million. The RAC Foundation observe that some councils’ operational costs have fallen due to greater efficiencies, overall gross income has increased; as a result, net profit has risen. Legislation and guidance is clear that on-street parking should not be used as a source of general revenue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Unreasonable parking charges and fines push up hard-working people's cost of living. If parking is too expensive or difficult, shoppers will simply drive to out of town supermarkets or just shop online, undermining the vitality of town centres and leading to ‘ghost town’ high streets. This Government has rejected the last Administration’s policy of encouraging higher parking charges and aggressive parking enforcement, and is standing up for hard-working people and local shops.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are introducing a series of reforms, including:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>· Stopping the abuse or misuse of on-street parking CCTV;</p><p> </p><p>· Reforming operational parking guidance so it is less heavy handed with motorists, prevents over-aggressive action by bailiffs, positively supports local shops and clearly reinforces the prohibition against parking being used to generate profit;</p><p> </p><p>· Introducing mandatory 10 minute “grace periods” at the end of on-street paid and free parking, and looking to extend this to off-street municipal parking;</p><p> </p><p>· Implementing a new right to allow local residents and local firms to demand a review of parking in their area, including charges and the use of yellow lines;</p><p> </p><p>· Proposing a widening of the powers of parking adjudicators, and updating guidance so the public know when they can be awarded costs at tribunals;</p><p> </p><p>· Trialling a 25% discount for drivers at appeal stage, reversing the current disincentive for drivers with a legitimate case to appeal; and</p><p> </p><p>· Changing guidance so drivers parking at an out-of-order meter are not fined if there are no alternative ways to pay.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have also recently updated the local government Transparency Code to increase information about local parking charges and the number of parking spaces, which we expect councils now to implement as required by the statutory code.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The measures on curtailing parking CCTV are contained within the Deregulation Bill, and I hope that noble peers will be supporting our measures at Report Stage in light of the figures in the RAC Foundation report.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/01/2015 14:42:19 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven

169343

registered interest
date	10/12/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Bahrain
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes in their defence strategy led to their decision to open a naval base in Bahrain.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL3629
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence has had a Naval Base in Bahrain since the 1950s; UK mine-hunters are based there and British destroyers and frigates in the Gulf are supported from there. Under the new arrangement, signed at the Manama Dialogue, the UK and Bahrain committed to working together to enhance the existing facilities at the port. The agreement reaffirms the UK's and Bahrain's joint determination to maintain regional security and stability in the face of long-standing and emerging regional challenges.</p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 12/01/2015 17:25:14 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

168463

registered interest
date	08/12/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Forced Marriage
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they collect data on the number of British girls sent abroad to marry each year; and if they do not collect such data, what they are doing to assess the scale of such activity.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL3493
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2015 answer text <p>The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) was established in 2005 to lead on the government’s forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. The FMU operates both inside the UK, <br>where support is provided to any individual, and overseas, where consular assistance is provided to British nationals, including dual nationals. In 2013, the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1302 cases. <br><br>It should be noted that cases include people or groups of people thought to be at potential risk of future forced marriage, those currently going through a forced marriage and <br>those who have already been forced to marry. This statistic includes all initial contacts with the FMU via the helpline or by email relating to a new case.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 09/01/2015 13:37:06 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

168474

registered interest
date	08/12/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	HM Passport Office: Belfast
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff were employed in HM Passport Office in Belfast in each of the last five years.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL3504
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed in the Belfast Passport Office in each of the last five years.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>March 2010</td><td>March 2011</td><td>March 2012</td><td>March 2013</td><td>March 2014</td></tr><tr><td>FTEs</td><td>171</td><td>163</td><td>160</td><td>182</td><td>205</td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 13/01/2015 14:28:52 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

164527

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Floods: Somerset
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many households that had to evacuate their homes on the Somerset levels because of flooding in the winter of 2013–14 have not been able to return.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3120
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p>My Department does not collect data on evacuation numbers.</p><p> </p><p>However, I would point my noble Friend to the flood recovery progress report placed in the Library further to my Written Ministerial Statement of 27 November 2014, <em>Official Report</em>, Column WS51. It explains the broader challenges faced by a small number of properties with repairing major structural damage, asbestos and sewage contamination, over and above flooding.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 12/01/2015 17:22:59 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

105839

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Minimum Wage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers were fined the maximum penalty for breaches of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 in each month of 2014 to date.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	212979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage very seriously and has increased the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers, and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. These new limits are now in force where arrears are identified in pay reference periods on or after 7 March 2014. The Government will also bring in primary legislation as soon as possible so that the maximum £20,000 penalty can apply to each underpaid worker.<br><br>I am unable to provide in-year figures for 2014/15 as HM Revenue and Customs do not disclose results mid-way through a year; this is because the results have not been internally verified. In an effort to assist I have provided the verified figures up to the year 2013/14, which provides numbers of the maximum penalties issued up until April 2014.&quot;</p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 30/01/2015 13:58:34 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

105846

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213036
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2015 answer text <p>The Civil Service Commission publish details of appointments made by exception and approved by them in their annual reports and on their website. These reports are also available in the Library of the House.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 02/02/2015 14:16:04 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

101053

registered interest
date	27/10/2014
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	Department for Communities and Local Government: Written Questions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to answer Question 210273, tabled by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central on 13 October 2014.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	212000
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2015 answer text <p>Question 210273 was answered on 18 December 2014.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams question first answered 07/01/2015 17:21:11 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams previous answer version 25354 answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

91699

registered interest
date	12/09/2014
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	High Rise Flats
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support is available to councils and housing associations to (a) modernise and (b) demolish tower blocks; and what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on tower blocks.
tabling member constituency	Great Grimsby
tabling member printed	Austin Mitchell
uin	209196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>We have invested more than £2 billion to enable council and housing association homes to be brought up to the Decent Homes standard, and have announced a £150 million funding pot to enable the regeneration of some of our most run-down estates.</p><p> </p><p>Reforms we have introduced have given councils greater freedoms, including the retention of their full rental income. All 167 council landlords in England now have a long-term, stable source of funding, which they can use to better meet the needs of their tenants and local area, and have, on average, 15% more to spend on managing and maintaining their homes than under the previous system.</p><p> </p><p>While we recognise that transformational estate regeneration may require some demolition of existing homes, this will need to be clearly justified. We would expect landlords to first consider options to upgrade and refurbish existing homes, in consultation with residents, in line with George Clarke’s 12 point plan (<a href="http://georgeclarke.com/2012/11/george-clarkes-empty-homes-manifesto-delivered-to-government-today/" target="_blank">http://georgeclarke.com/2012/11/george-clarkes-empty-homes-manifesto-delivered-to-government-today/</a>).</p><p> </p><p>It is of course important that any modernisation, regeneration or demolition takes place only once the views of the local community have been taken into account.</p><p> </p><p>I also refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 16 January 2015, <em>Official Report</em>, Column 35-37WS, which outlines what this Government has done to promote refurbishment and getting empty building back into use.</p><p><a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150116/wmstext/150116m0001.htm#15011650000003" target="_blank">http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150116/wmstext/150116m0001.htm#15011650000003</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 19/01/2015 16:21:13 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	372 label Biography information for Austin Mitchell