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1079612

	registered interest
	date	01/03/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the future EU workers visa scheme will allow farmers to employ seasonal workers on part-year contracts for consecutive years.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL14154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2019 answer text <p>We have published an ambitious White Paper, setting out proposals for our future skills-based immigration system, including a new Temporary Worker route, open to all skill levels, to ensure UK businesses and employers have the staff they need, including seasonal workers.</p><p>Following a cooling off period, previous holders of a temporary short-term work visa will be eligible to apply for another temporary work visa to come to the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 14/03/2019 16:50:56 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1197221

	registered interest
	date	19/05/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrants: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they consider that people designated as "no recourse to public funds" under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 will have access to food during the lockdown.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL4690
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office is working closely with other government departments, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Environment, Food &amp; Rural Affairs to support people, including migrants with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), through this crisis.  Departments are sharing what they are learning from other bodies and charities with each other to ensure we continue to take a compassionate and pragmatic approach to an unprecedented situation.</p><p> </p><p>Many of the wide-ranging Covid-19 measures the Government has put in place, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self-employment Income Support Scheme and rental and mortgage protections are not public funds and therefore are available to migrants with NRPF.</p><p>Local authorities can provide basic safety net support if it is established there is a care need which does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question. The Government has provided more than £3.2 billion of funding to local authorities in England, and additional funding under the Barnett formula to the devolved administrations to enable them to respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including services helping the most vulnerable. In addition, on the 8th April the Chancellor announced an additional £750m package of support for charities across the UK to ensure they can continue their vital work during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p>More information on the support available for migrants affected by Covid-19 can be found on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk.</p><p> </p><p>We will keep the situation under review and consider further measures if needed.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 02/06/2020 11:39:08 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1279790

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Customs: Recruitment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new customs agents have been recruited to staff the UK's borders in the light of the UK's departure from the EU; and what is their eventual target for the recruitment of such agents.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL12513
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2021 answer text <p>Since 2018-19, Border Force has been building its staffing to meet the requirements of exiting the European Union and the end of the transition period.</p><p>By the end of the transition period, over 1,350 permanent staff were in post. Whilst recruitment and training continues, Border Force is also using contingency resources to provide additional short-term coverage where required.</p><p>Border Force anticipates requiring a total of 2,000 additional operational staff by July 2021, when full customs import controls are implemented on movements of goods from the EU to Great Britain but continues to keep the position under review based on operational requirements.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 03/02/2021 16:28:22 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1469198

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
	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 seasonal agricultural workers being charged recruitment fees; and how many UK recruitment firms have lost their licence for charging such fees illegally.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2022 answer text <p>A key objective of the Seasonal Workers Scheme is to ensure that migrant workers are protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses, including the charging of recruitment fees. The safety and wellbeing of workers is considered paramount.</p><p>The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) assess overseas labour providers when they apply for a licence to be a part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme. Charging recruitment fees would be a breach of the licensing standards. Any labour provider found to be in breach of the licensing standards is not provided with a licence or would have their licence revoked. To date, no licence holder part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme has been found to be in breach of the standards related to recruitment fees.</p><p>The GLAA is undertaking work in partnership to prevent exploitation of workers. For example, the GLAA and seasonal worker pilot operators are jointly developing an informative video, specifically addressing issues related to recruitment fees. The video is due to be launched in the coming weeks. The GLAA is also developing specific guidance aimed for overseas businesses will also be published shortly. Finally, the GLAA is working with UK embassies to engage more closely with in-country government agencies and ensure local laws and regulations are always met.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 06/07/2022 15:24:56 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1285436

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2021
	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	Farmers: Broadband
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the National Farmers Union NFU digital survey results, published on 8 February, and (2) the finding in that report that more than four in ten farmers do not have access to fast and reliable broadband.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL13190
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government has delivered superfast broadband to over five million premises, mainly in rural areas, which means that 96% of UK premises have access to superfast speeds and the UK has one of the highest rates of rural superfast coverage in Europe.</p><p>However, the Government recognises that further investment in rural broadband is needed, as the National Farmers Union’s recent report demonstrates. That is why the Government is investing an unprecedented £5 billion to further subsidise deployment of gigabit broadband in the hardest to reach 20% of the country. The majority of this funding will be deployed in rural areas, and will connect farms in these areas. The £5 billion investment will prioritise deployment to premises without access to superfast broadband, where possible.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 18/02/2021 12:15:19 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1285437

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2021
	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	Broadband and Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
	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 lack of rural broadband and mobile phone connectivity; and how they plan to address the issue.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL13191
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/02/2021 answer text <p>Over 96% of all premises in the UK can access superfast broadband thanks to the success of our Superfast Broadband Programme, meaning the UK has one of the highest levels of rural superfast connectivity in Europe. The Government is committed to further improve the UK’s broadband infrastructure and deliver nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. As part of this, we are investing an unprecedented £5 billion of subsidy to support the deployment of gigabit broadband in the hardest-to-reach, predominantly rural, areas of the country through our new UK Gigabit Programme.</p><p>We have already made significant progress in connecting rural premises to gigabit speeds and, since 2018, have delivered gigabit-capable connectivity to over half a million homes and businesses in some of the hardest to reach places in the country, through our existing Superfast Broadband and £200 million Rural Gigabit Connectivity programmes.</p><p>The Government is also committed to extending geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK. On 9 March 2020, we announced the £1 billion Shared Rural Network deal with the Mobile Network Operators. This landmark deal will see operators collectively increase mobile phone coverage throughout the UK to 95% by the end of programme, underpinned by legally binding coverage commitments.</p><p>On 27 January 2021, the operators Three, O2 and Vodafone announced a joint venture to build and share 222 new masts to boost coverage across the UK to deliver the first stage of the SRN. This will result in increased coverage in each of the UK nations.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 18/02/2021 12:13:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1416630

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2022
	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	Broadband: Standards
	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 the disparity in broadband connectivity between urban and rural areas.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL5668
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2022 answer text <p>The Government is investing £5 billion through Project Gigabit to support gigabit broadband coverage in areas not covered by commercial roll-out, adding to the 600,000 homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas already covered by gigabit broadband with our support.</p><p>It is the Government's view that the best way to achieve nationwide gigabit coverage and eliminate the disparity in broadband connectivity between urban and rural areas is by creating a competition-friendly environment in areas where deployment is commercially viable. This will allow public subsidy to focus on the 20% of the country where commercial deployment is unlikely.</p><p>This approach is working. Today, we are on track for the biggest build in UK history. At present, 65% of premises can access a gigabit-capable connection, a huge leap forward from July 2019, when gigabit coverage was just 8%.</p><p>Our procurements are prioritising delivery to rural, hard-to-reach premises and to those with the lowest broadband speeds. To date, we have launched procurements targeting rural parts of Cumbria, County Durham, Northumberland, Dorset, and Cambridgeshire. Further information on the procurement approach and timeframes can be found in our latest <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/project-gigabit-delivery-plan-autumn-update" target="_blank">Project Gigabit Delivery Update</a>.</p><p>As part of Project Gigabit the Government is also investing up to £210 million in the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme to support rural communities with the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections. The scheme provides a micro-grant of up to £1,500 for residents and up to £3,500 for businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband.</p><p>The scheme enables those communities and businesses in rural areas not in line for commercial rollout, and those that do not want to wait for Project Gigabit procurements, to get more immediate help with the costs of installing a gigabit-capable connection. Further information is available on the <a href="https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/" target="_blank">gigabit voucher website</a> including eligibility criteria and how to apply for the scheme.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 08/02/2022 17:18:25 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1416631

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2022
	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	Shared Rural Network
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the rollout of the mobile phone Shared Rural Network will be fully delivered by 2025
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL5669
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2022 answer text <p>The Shared Rural Network remains on track and both the Government and the mobile network operators remain confident that their combined coverage is expected to be delivered to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025, with areas around the UK starting to see improvements to 4G coverage long before completion. The four operators have already commenced work on the first element of the Shared Rural Network which is funded by the industry, and are on track to eliminate the majority of partial not-spots - areas where there is currently coverage from at least one, but not all, operators - by mid-2024. Coverage upgrades in many partial not-spot areas are already being delivered, with work to improve coverage in other areas in progress. The 2021 Ofcom Connected Nations report, published in December, demonstrates increased coverage across the whole UK by the mobile network operators, including 46 deployments towards their Shared Rural Network commitments.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 08/02/2022 17:16:47 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1417143

	registered interest
	date	26/01/2022
	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	Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
	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 remote rural locations in the UK which rely on the 3G mobile phone network will have a guaranteed continuation of service when the 3G signal is turned off in 2023.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL5707
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2022 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the responsible switching off of 3G networks, and will continue to work with mobile network operators to ensure a smooth transition that meets the needs of business users and consumers, including vulnerable groups.</p><p>We are committed to extending good quality mobile coverage across the UK. In March 2020, the Government announced a deal with the mobile network operators to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass. The Government’s ambition is for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027 and we want to ensure that UK businesses reap the full benefits of 5G.</p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 09/02/2022 12:35:34 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1505798

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2022
	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	Broadband: Rural Areas
	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 access to full fibre broadband for all properties and businesses in rural communities.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL2272
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>In March 2021 we launched Project Gigabit, our £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Project Gigabit’s objective is to level up the UK by giving hard-to-reach areas access to gigabit-capable internet speeds and, coupled with commercial gigabit delivery, ensuring almost all of the UK has access to gigabit-capable internet as soon as possible.</p><p>Our Project Gigabit procurements are prioritising delivery to rural, hard-to-reach premises and to those with the lowest broadband speeds. We have recently signed our first local Project Gigabit contract in North Dorset and expect to award further contracts over the coming months.</p><p>Furthermore, up to £210 million is available for Gigabit Broadband Vouchers to support rural communities with the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections.</p><p>Building Digital UK’s legacy and current programmes have already upgraded over 740,000 premises to gigabit speeds, and we are continuing to move at pace.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Kamall question first answered 22/09/2022 10:25:49 answering member 4909 label Biography information for Lord Kamall
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch