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1290183

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2021
	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	Telecommunications: Rural Areas
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in expanding communications network coverage in rural areas; and what plans they have to share the resources used by the Emergency Services Network to achieve such coverage.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL13710
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government’s £1 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) agreement with the Mobile Network Operators, will see the operators collectively increase 4G mobile coverage to 95% by the end of the programme. While the programme is still in its early stages, we anticipate that areas of the UK will see improvements in coverage long before its completion. On 27 January 2021, the operators O2, Three and Vodafone announced a joint venture to build and share 222 new mobile masts to boost rural coverage across the United Kingdom and deliver the first stage of the SRN. This will see 124 new sites built in Scotland, 33 in Wales, 11 in Northern Ireland, and 54 in England.</p><p>Furthermore, on 24 February, EE announced it will be expanding 4G in more than 500 areas in this year to improve rural connectivity across the UK as part of the programme. This will include 333 in England, 132 in Scotland, 76 in Wales, and 38 in Northern Ireland. 110 areas have already been upgraded since the SRN deal was signed, with a further 469 to follow this year in the first phase of the programme.</p><p>The Government is committed to delivering value for money for the taxpayer by sharing infrastructure where possible for the Shared Rural Network. The Home Office will make the Extended Area Service (EAS) infrastructure, which is part of the new Emergency Services Network (ESN), available to all mobile operators for deployment as part of SRN. In some specific cases, SRN site upgrades may not be possible due to insurmountable practical or cost barriers.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 05/03/2021 10:31:27 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1504737

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2022
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Housing: Construction
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase (1) energy, and (2) water, efficiency in new housing.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL2142
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2022 answer text <p>From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will ensure that new homes produce at least 75% fewer CO2 emissions compared to those built to the 2013 standards. <br> <br>In December 2021 the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards, which came into force in June 2022. The uplift delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions and provides a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard. New homes are now expected to produce around 30% fewer CO2 emissions compared to the previous 2013 standards.</p><p>With regard to water, the Government continues to review options regarding improving efficiency and will come forward with further information in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist question first answered 20/09/2022 14:50:24 answering member 4582 label Biography information for Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1505647

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2022
	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	Social Services: Standards
	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 delays to discharge from hospitals owing to the lack of availability of social care; and what steps they intend to take to address this.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL2231
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2022 answer text <p>We are working with NHS England and local government to monitor and address discharge delays. NHS England’s data shows that on 31 August there were 13,195 patients in hospital in England who no longer meet the criteria to reside. However, this data does not record whether those patients are awaiting a care home placement or care at home.</p><p>In December 2021, the Department established the National Hospital Discharge Taskforce with membership from local and central government, the National Health Service to identify long-term, sustainable measures to reduce delayed discharges. The Taskforce launched a ‘100-day discharge challenge’ in July 2022, focusing on 10 best practices for use in hospitals. Integrated care systems and local areas have been invited to submit expressions of interest to become ‘discharge frontrunners’ to facilitate the sharing of good practice and ideas to ease discharge pressures. In addition, we are simplifying the recruitment of eligible workers from overseas to allow social care employers to fill vacancies.</p> answering member printed Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist question first answered 26/09/2022 12:05:42 answering member 4582 label Biography information for Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1623914

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Fisheries: North Sea
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to use Overseas Patrol Squadron vessels to monitor hostile activity in the UK's fisheries and against vulnerable undersea assets in regions such as the North Sea.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL7449
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence constantly monitors activity within UK waters and its Economic Exclusion Zone to counter and deter detected threats.</p><p> </p><p>The Royal Navy's Batch 1 Offshore Patrol Vessels, of the Overseas Patrol Squadron, are frequently used on a high readiness basis in UK waters to undertake domestic security tasks, including escorting foreign warships through UK waters. This is in addition to the Fleet Ready Escort and other persistently available Royal Navy platforms.</p><p> </p><p>The Government takes the security and resilience of undersea infrastructure, including cables, interconnectors, and pipelines, very seriously. These are critical to our national infrastructure, and we monitor the full range of threats and risks.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 11/05/2023 15:56:50 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1419755

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Energy Bills Rebate: Repayments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to repay the rebate announced to help alleviate household energy bills; and what assessment they have made of the impact on households as a result of such repayment.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL5935
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>In recognition of the increase in energy costs and the impact this will have on households, the Government is providing significant financial support – up to £350 – to the majority of households. One element of this is a £200 discount for households delivered via their energy bill this autumn.</p><p> </p><p>We expect households will pay back the discount from 2023 – when energy prices are expected to be lower - through an increase to standing charges on their bills of around £40 per annum over five years.</p><p> </p><p>This approach is fiscally responsible while also helping customers manage the unprecedented increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs of global prices over time. The policy will provide a significant discount to bills this year whilst gas prices are at historic highs.</p><p> </p><p>The government will explore this issue through a public consultation run by the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in the spring.</p><p> </p><p>This policy is on top of wider support available for vulnerable households, elderly and low-income people this winter. These schemes include the Warm Home Discount, which is being expanded to 3m people and increased to £150, up to £300 Winter Fuel Payment for all households with at least one member above State Pension age and a £25 per week Cold Weather Payment. These measures will help ensure those most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the winter.</p><p> </p><p>There is also our £500m Household Support Fund which will help vulnerable households, including pensioners, with the costs of essentials this winter – local authorities will ensure it reaches those who need it most, and 50% of the funding is ringfenced for households with children.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to these measures, we’re also providing £3bn over this Parliament to help more than half a million lower income homes become more energy efficient, saving them £290 per year on average.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 10/02/2022 16:47:33 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1419756

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Energy: Prices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what long-term arrangements they will put in place to assist (1) low-income households, and (2) pensioners on fixed incomes, to alleviate their domestic energy costs.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL5936
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>The Government recognises many households will need support to help deal with the rising cost of energy prices. Therefore, we are providing support worth £9.1bn in 2022-23 composed of:</p><ul><li>A £200 discount for households delivered via their energy bill this autumn, paid back automatically over the next 5 years, spreading the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households.</li><li>A £150 non-repayable cash rebate to 80% of households to help with rising costs now, delivered as a payment from government to Local Authorities, for implementation from this April via a payment to all households in Council Tax Bands A-D.</li><li>£144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax reduction.</li></ul><p> </p><p>There is also our £500m Household Support Fund which will help vulnerable households, including pensioners, with the costs of essentials this winter – local authorities will ensure it reaches those who need it most, and 50% of the funding is ringfenced for households with children.</p><p> </p><p>This is on top of wider support available for vulnerable households, elderly and low-income people this winter. These schemes include the Warm Home Discount, which is being expanded to 3m people and increased to £150, up to £300 Winter Fuel Payment for all households with at least one member above State Pension age and a £25 per week Cold Weather Payment. These measures will help ensure those most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the winter.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to these measures, we’re also providing £3bn over this Parliament to help more than half a million lower income homes become more energy efficient, saving them £290 per year on average.</p><p> </p><p>In the longer term, the Government will look to reduce our reliance on global gas prices by moving to a cleaner, more resilient energy system and improve energy efficiency to help keep bills down.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 10/02/2022 16:43:47 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1452709

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Farmers: Lump Sum Payments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the tax situation regarding the lump sum payments extended through the agriculture regulations.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL7153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government intends to introduce legislation to provide clarity that payments under the Lump Sum Exit Scheme will be treated as capital in nature and will be subject to capital gains tax, or corporation tax in the case of incorporated entities. The existing capital gains reliefs will be available where the qualifying criteria are met.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 31/03/2022 12:47:22 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1453867

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services: Complaints
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government under what conditions a formal complaint against a financial service provider may be considered not a regulated activity by the Financial Ombudsman Service; and what forms of redress consumers have against financial malpractice by financial service providers.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL7288
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) dispute resolution rules set out what complaints the Financial Ombudsman Service is able to look at. These are set out in the DISP rules in the FCA Handbook. These rules provide that the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) can consider complaints about regulated activities but also certain other activities which are not regulated activities. DISP 2.3.1R sets out what activities the FOS’s Compulsory Jurisdiction covers. <a href="https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/DISP/2/3.html" target="_blank">https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/DISP/2/3.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The FOS was set up by Parliament to resolve complaints between financial businesses and their customers quickly and with minimum formality, on the basis of what is, in the ombudsman’s opinion fair and reasonable in all the circumstances of the case. Where a complaint is determined in favour of the complainant, the FOS can make a money award in favour of the complainant or direct the businesses to take certain other steps.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 05/04/2022 15:02:10 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1657622

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banks: Closures
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions are in place to support customers in the event of a rural bank closure with no bank branch available within three miles.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL9799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis, which it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets out its expectation of firms when closing a branch; they must carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This will ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly.</p><p> </p><p>An alternative for those who prefer to conduct their everyday banking face-to-face is the Post Office, which enables customers to carry this out at 11,500 post offices across the UK. The Post Office is required by the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK to be within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office outlet.</p><p> </p><p>New shared Banking Hubs are also being introduced providing cash and basic banking services, and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. Banking Hubs are a commercial initiative provided by participating retail banks and building societies in partnership with the Post Office. Decisions regarding the operation and location of Banking Hubs are taken by the parties involved.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding access to cash, the government legislated to protect access to cash services through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. Following this, the government recently published a policy statement. This included setting the government’s current understanding that the vast majority of people in predominately rural areas have access to cash within 3 miles of where they live, while the vast majority of people in predominately urban areas have access to cash within 1 mile of where they live. This is based on FCA analysis and concerns access to cash services in general rather than bank branches. The policy statement sets out that the FCA, as responsible regulator, should seek to maintain this distribution of cash access services, while recognising that cash needs may differ by location and change over time. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Penn grouped question UIN HL9800 question first answered 18/09/2023 14:23:00 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1657623

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banking Hubs: Rural Areas
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take, if any, to set up a rural banking hub to avoid a lack of banking provision within ten miles.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL9800
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis, which it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets out its expectation of firms when closing a branch; they must carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This will ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly.</p><p> </p><p>An alternative for those who prefer to conduct their everyday banking face-to-face is the Post Office, which enables customers to carry this out at 11,500 post offices across the UK. The Post Office is required by the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK to be within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office outlet.</p><p> </p><p>New shared Banking Hubs are also being introduced providing cash and basic banking services, and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. Banking Hubs are a commercial initiative provided by participating retail banks and building societies in partnership with the Post Office. Decisions regarding the operation and location of Banking Hubs are taken by the parties involved.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding access to cash, the government legislated to protect access to cash services through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. Following this, the government recently published a policy statement. This included setting the government’s current understanding that the vast majority of people in predominately rural areas have access to cash within 3 miles of where they live, while the vast majority of people in predominately urban areas have access to cash within 1 mile of where they live. This is based on FCA analysis and concerns access to cash services in general rather than bank branches. The policy statement sets out that the FCA, as responsible regulator, should seek to maintain this distribution of cash access services, while recognising that cash needs may differ by location and change over time. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Penn grouped question UIN HL9799 question first answered 18/09/2023 14:23:00 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering