Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

170930

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	answering body	The Lord Chairman of Committees
	answering dept id	200
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Chairman of Committees (HoL)
	hansard heading	House of Lords: Catering
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask the Chairman of Committees what has been (1) the expenditure, and (2) the profit or deficit, for the years 2012–13 and 2013–14 of each catering outlet in the House of Lords.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL3837
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p>The turnover, expenditure and profit or loss of each Catering and Retail Service outlet in 2012-13 and 2013-14 are set out in the tables below.</p><p> </p><p><strong>2012-13</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Outlet</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Turnover (£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure (£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Profit/loss (£)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Peers' Dining Room</p></td><td><p>491,364</p></td><td><p>1,308,224</p></td><td><p>-816,860</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Barry Room</p></td><td><p>238,267</p></td><td><p>498,307</p></td><td><p>-260,040</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Home Room</p></td><td><p>44,838</p></td><td><p>182,122</p></td><td><p>-137,284</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>River Restaurant</p></td><td><p>257,041</p></td><td><p>689,116</p></td><td><p>-432,075</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bishops Bar</p></td><td><p>51,399</p></td><td><p>111,197</p></td><td><p>-59,798</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Peers Guest Room</p></td><td><p>59,952</p></td><td><p>56,524</p></td><td><p>3,428</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lords Bar</p></td><td><p>99,612</p></td><td><p>130,914</p></td><td><p>-31,302</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Millbank House</p></td><td><p>90,139</p></td><td><p>205,036</p></td><td><p>-114,897</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>2013-14</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Outlet</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Turnover (£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure (£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Profit/loss (£)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Peers' Dining Room</p></td><td><p>554,236</p></td><td><p>1,441,232</p></td><td><p>-886,996</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Barry Room</p></td><td><p>204,882</p></td><td><p>466,362</p></td><td><p>-261,480</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Home Room</p></td><td><p>29,503</p></td><td><p>163,502</p></td><td><p>-133,999</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>River Restaurant</p></td><td><p>258,457</p></td><td><p>703,978</p></td><td><p>-445,521</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bishops Bar</p></td><td><p>60,090</p></td><td><p>125,399</p></td><td><p>-65,310</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Peers Guest Room</p></td><td><p>60,045</p></td><td><p>75,335</p></td><td><p>-15,290</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lords Bar</p></td><td><p>106,561</p></td><td><p>102,746</p></td><td><p>3,815</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Millbank House</p></td><td><p>91,430</p></td><td><p>240,236</p></td><td><p>-148,806</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Sewel question first answered 06/01/2015 14:28:32 answering member 2124 label Biography information for Lord Sewel
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

420484

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2015
	answering body	The Lord Chairman of Committees
	answering dept id	200
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Chairman of Committees (HoL)
	hansard heading	House of Lords: Catering
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask the Chairman of Committees what plans he has to end the subsidy for catering services in the House of Lords.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL2459
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>Catering and Retail Services seek to provide an appropriate level of service to support an active and busy parliamentary chamber, and to provide excellent value to the taxpayer. The catering subsidy has been reduced by 32% since 2007 and we are working hard to reduce it further through an ambitious Change Programme.</p><p>The unpredictable nature of parliamentary business – in terms of sitting days, recesses, the length of each sitting, and the level of attendance at the House for each sitting – means that staffing costs and wastage are higher than would be the case in purely commercial catering outlets. This makes an operating loss extremely difficult to avoid.</p><p>Furthermore, catering facilities are used by a wide range of people, not just Members. Venues such as the River Restaurant and Millbank House cafeteria are mainly intended to provide facilities for staff and other users such as the Metropolitan Police, contractors and others working on the Parliamentary Estate. It is good practice for large employers to provide cafeteria facilities for staff, particularly for organisations that operate outside normal office hours as is the case in the House of Lords. We pay all catering staff at least the London Living Wage and provide them with workplace pensions. We are proud to do so but it means our costs are higher than some commercial restaurants.</p><p>Given these factors, some element of tax-payer funding is appropriate, but the Administration is vigilant to ensure that public money is stewarded responsibly. Catering and Retail Services are also exploring novel ways to generate income in quieter times, such as opening the Peers’ Dining Room to the public in longer recesses. This helps to reduce the overall cost of the refreshment service to the tax payer, and so the subsidy.</p> answering member printed Lord Laming question first answered 21/10/2015 15:32:12 answering member 2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

106156

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2014
	answering body	Leader of the House of Lords
	answering dept id	92
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Leader of the House of Lords
	hansard heading	Oral Questions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask the Leader of the House whether she will propose to the Procedure Committee a review of the system for tabling oral questions in the House of Lords in respect of the requirement for members to queue.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL2628
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The process for tabling oral questions was considered in detail in the 2012-13 session. In response to concerns raised about the current “first-come-first-served” system - including a concern about the requirement to queue raised by my Noble Friend, Lady Sharples - the Procedure Committee proposed the introduction of a ballot in its place (Procedure Committee, 3rd Report, Session 2012-13). The House remitted the issue back to the Procedure Committee for further consideration (HL Deb 9 Jan 2013, cols 145-172). <br><br>That further review did not identify a clear consensus as to whether a ballot was preferred to the “first-come-first-served” system (see Procedure Committee, 5th Report, Session 2012-13; see also HL Deb 24 April 2013, cols 1406-1417). <br><br>I know that strong views persist on both sides of the argument about this issue. I will write to the Chairman of the Procedure Committee on my Noble Friend’s behalf to suggest that the matter might be discussed at a future meeting of the Procedure Committee.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stowell of Beeston question first answered 18/11/2014 14:34:08 answering member 4205 label Biography information for Baroness Stowell of Beeston
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

170844

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Peers
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many nominations for peerages by each political party have been blocked by the House of Lords Appointments Commission in each of the Parliaments since its formation in 2000.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL3791
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>The government does not hold information on nominations blocked by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. This is a matter for the House of Lords Appointment Commission who are an independent, advisory, non-departmental public body.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 26/01/2015 17:39:49 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

228971

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2015
	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	Travellers: Caravan Sites
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they began the administrative review of the recovery decisions involving Traveller sites in the Green Belt; what criteria are being applied for the review; and when the review is likely to be published.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL5936
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>This Government continues to attach great importance to safeguarding the Green Belt. It will address concerns about the harm caused when there is unauthorised development of land in advance of obtaining planning permission and there is no opportunity to appropriately limit or mitigate the harm that has already taken place. For these reasons, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will introduce a new planning and recovery policy for the Green Belt early in the new Parliament to strength protection against unauthorised development. This new policy will apply to all development within the Green Belt. In the meantime he has also decided to de-recover those cases of appeals for Traveller development in the Green Belt on which a substantive decision has not been reached. These will be remitted back to the Planning Inspectorate and, where appropriate, we will re-assess them in light of the new recovery policy.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 26/03/2015 14:48:00 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

225770

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2015
	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	Travellers: Caravan Sites
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are complying with the ruling of the High Court in the case of Moore and Coates [2015] EWHC 44 (Admin), which found that the practice of recovering all appeals relating to planning applications by Travellers in the Green Belt was declared unlawful.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL5535
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>The Government is considering their position in the light of the Judgment of Moore &amp; Coates and will respond in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/03/2015 12:11:31 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

178658

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2015
	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	Travellers: Caravan Sites
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what bids were accepted by the Homes and Communities Agency for Traveller accommodation under the affordable homes programme for the period 2015–18, including in each case the location, number of pitches and the cost of the scheme.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL4808
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2015 answer text <p>The Homes and Communities Agency announced grant allocations totalling £886 million to deliver almost 44,000 new affordable homes as part of the 2015/18 Affordable Homes Programme. Of this, allocations for traveller pitches are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Local authority area </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Site</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Pitches</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Grant Funding </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Norwich City Council</p></td><td><p>To be confirmed - indicative allocation</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>£819,910</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central Bedfordshire</p></td><td><p>Potton site extension</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>£150,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central Bedfordshire</p></td><td><p>Potton site extension part 2</p></td><td><p>11</p></td><td><p>£825,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central Bedfordshire</p></td><td><p>Dunton Lane</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>£900,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Unlike the 2011/15 Affordable Homes Programme, where all the funding was allocated at the start of the programme, the Homes and Communities Agency’s intention was to hold back at least 25% of the 2015/18 budget for future market engagement on an ongoing basis. This approach is intended to allow providers more time to work up proposals, including those intending to bid for funding for traveller sites, and reduces the need to ring-fence funding for particular groups. The Agency are now inviting bids for the remainder of the 2015-18 Affordable Homes Programme funding of around £800 million.</p><p>Allocations for traveller pitches by the Homes and Communities Agency cover the period of the 2011/15 programme, rather than 2012/15. The total allocated in the 2011/15 programme was £49 million. This allocation reflected the number and quality of bids received.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL4809 question first answered 20/02/2015 10:59:24 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

178659

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2015
	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	Travellers: Caravan Sites
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total sum allocated by the Homes and Communities Agency for Traveller accommodation in the period 2012–15; and why no amount is ringfenced within the £1.7 billion affordable homes programme for the period 2015–18 for that purpose.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL4809
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2015 answer text <p>The Homes and Communities Agency announced grant allocations totalling £886 million to deliver almost 44,000 new affordable homes as part of the 2015/18 Affordable Homes Programme. Of this, allocations for traveller pitches are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Local authority area </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Site</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Pitches</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Grant Funding </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Norwich City Council</p></td><td><p>To be confirmed - indicative allocation</p></td><td><p>13</p></td><td><p>£819,910</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central Bedfordshire</p></td><td><p>Potton site extension</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>£150,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central Bedfordshire</p></td><td><p>Potton site extension part 2</p></td><td><p>11</p></td><td><p>£825,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central Bedfordshire</p></td><td><p>Dunton Lane</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>£900,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Unlike the 2011/15 Affordable Homes Programme, where all the funding was allocated at the start of the programme, the Homes and Communities Agency’s intention was to hold back at least 25% of the 2015/18 budget for future market engagement on an ongoing basis. This approach is intended to allow providers more time to work up proposals, including those intending to bid for funding for traveller sites, and reduces the need to ring-fence funding for particular groups. The Agency are now inviting bids for the remainder of the 2015-18 Affordable Homes Programme funding of around £800 million.</p><p>Allocations for traveller pitches by the Homes and Communities Agency cover the period of the 2011/15 programme, rather than 2012/15. The total allocated in the 2011/15 programme was £49 million. This allocation reflected the number and quality of bids received.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL4808 question first answered 20/02/2015 10:59:24 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

178660

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2015
	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	Travellers: Caravan Sites
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Homes and Communities Agency decided to exclude bids for Traveller sites within the Green Belt from consideration under their affordable homes programme for 2015–18, while including bids for housing; and what assessment they made of the implications of human rights and equality law in reaching that decision.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL4810
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2015 answer text <p>The Homes and Communities Agency’s prospectus for our affordable housing programme makes clear that “we do not expect to receive bids for schemes on Green Belt land or other land with special environmental protections”, and this applies across all forms of accommodation, not just traveller sites.</p><p>The Government has a planning policy which seeks to safeguard Green Belt protection; consequently, we have intentionally aligned our housing policy to ensure it is consistent.</p><p>The Homes and Communities Agency fully considers its obligations under equality and human rights law.</p><p>We believe that planning rules should be applied fairly and consistently. The perception that certain groups are given ‘special treatment’ in the planning system creates community tensions, harming the cause of equality.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2015 12:58:29 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

175895

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2015
	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	Travellers: Caravan Sites
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide an assurance that the proposed garden cities will feature appropriate accommodation for caravan-dwelling Travellers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
	uin	HL4475
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2015 answer text <p>There are no special planning provisions for locally-led garden cities. National planning policy requires local authorities to plan for the needs of their traveller communities in the same way as they are required to plan for the settled community.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 03/02/2015 15:19:01 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury