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1056474

	registered interest
	date	06/02/2019
	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: Discrimination
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to strengthen the Equality Act 2010 to prevent fully the discrimination against, and the exclusion of, people with assistance dogs, in the form of denial of access to taxis and minicabs, shops and restaurants by those without health-related exemption certificates.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL13526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2019 answer text <p>It is already illegal for taxi and Private Hire Vehicle drivers to refuse to carry an assistance dog or to charge their owner more for a journey. Local licensing authorities should ensure that drivers are aware of their duties, and that appropriate action, including prosecution, is taken where non-compliance is identified.</p><p> </p><p>There is also already a legal duty for service providers to provide reasonable adjustments to disabled people so that they are not put at a significant disadvantage compared to non-disabled people, which may include allowing access for assistance dogs where animals would not normally be permitted.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for Disability Issues has been facilitating the assistance dog sector to work together to look at access and supply issues, with a view to creating an accredited UK standard. This work is ongoing but if a standard can be achieved this should reduce the likelihood of access refusals.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 20/02/2019 16:58:22 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1174475

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2020
	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	Hate Crime: Females
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they collect on incidences of misogynistic hate speech against women in public life; what assessment they have made of whether misogynistic hate speech is increasing; and what action they are taking to encourage women to (1) enter, and (2) remain, in public life.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL935
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2020 answer text <p>Misogyny is not a hate crime in law, therefore no data is held about specific incidences. The Government has heard concerns about existing legislation and asked the Law Commission to undertake a full review of hate crime legislation, which will report in early 2021.</p><p>The Government is committed to ensuring that women are able to participate fully in public life. Our Public Appointments Diversity Action plan, published in June 2019, sets out the actions we are taking to ensure that, by 2022, 50% of public appointees are women. Additionally, projects funded by our £5 million Women's Suffrage Centenary Fund included an AskHerToStand event for 350 women giving them invaluable help to get on the first rung of a political career.</p><p>We have more women MPs and councillors than ever before and there are now 220 women MPs (34%), up from 22% in 2010. I am pleased this is the most gender balanced parliament on record.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 11/02/2020 17:07:03 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1455803

	registered interest
	date	30/03/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Hospitality Industry: VAT
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to UK hospitality businesses, especially small businesses, to help with (1) rising costs, and (2) the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, following their decision not extend the 12.5 per cent rate of VAT for hospitality.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL7508
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2022 answer text <p>The government has already prioritised support for SMEs by cutting business rates by 50% for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, providing a 95% subsidy for apprenticeships, and supporting them to invest and grow by increasing the Annual Investment Allowance to £1 million. The Help to Grow scheme provides eligible SMEs with a 90% subsidy for world class management training and subsidises the cost of new software up to £5,000.</p><p> </p><p>The Spring Statement 2022 went further and cuts the cost of employment for half a million small businesses, by increasing the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000. This means that from April, 670,000 businesses will not pay NICs and the Health and Social Care Levy. In addition, to help businesses and consumers, the main rates of petrol and diesel duty will be cut by 5 pence per litre, the largest cash terms cut that has ever been applied to fuel duty rates at once.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 07/04/2022 14:50:30 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1462726

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Energy: Billing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what figures they have on the increase in the number of people in the UK using high-cost credit, such as ‘buy now pay later’ debt schemes, to pay their energy bills since 1 April.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL211
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>HM Treasury regularly monitors developments in the consumer credit market, including the use of Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) credit products, as part of its normal process of policy development.</p><p>However, it does not hold information regarding the number of people using BNPL or other types of credit to pay their energy bills. Instead, HMT draws on the research of various stakeholders, including consumer groups and the wider financial services industry, to inform policy development.</p><p>As an interest free product, the government does not consider BNPL to be high-cost credit.</p><p> </p><p>However, the government recognises that BNPL products do pose several potential risks of consumer detriment, as set out in The Woolard Review into the unsecured credit market. That is why on 2 February 2021, the Government announced its intention to regulate BNPL products in a proportionate manner.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published a consultation on policy proposals for the regulation of BNPL on 21 October 2021, which closed on 6 January 2022. The Government is now reviewing responses to this consultation and considering next steps and intends to publish a consultation response in the coming weeks.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 19/05/2022 10:53:55 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1464807

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Fuels: Excise Duties
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the UK's petrol retailers (1) do not profiteer at the expense of the public, and (2) pass onto consumers the 5p fuel duty cut announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 23 March.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL430
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2022 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that it expects those in the supply chain to have passed the fuel duty cut through to consumers, and to ensure that drivers across the country are getting a fair deal.</p><p> </p><p>The Competition and Markets Authority has been engaged about the issue and stands ready to take action, should there be evidence that competition or consumer protection law has been broken in the fuel retail market.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 08/06/2022 14:13:35 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1643206

	registered interest
	date	08/06/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Mortgages: Arrears and Repossession Orders
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increase in (1) homeowner mortgage arrears, and (2) house repossession orders as a result of homeowner mortgage arrears, since the rise in interest rates began in December 2021; and whether they have had any recent discussions with mortgage lenders to discuss concerns over rising mortgage arrears.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL8356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>HM Treasury is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their mortgage business to understand their position and current lending conditions, including at a roundtable hosted by the Chancellor on this topic in December.</p><p> </p><p>Mortgage arrears and repossessions remain below pre-pandemic levels. However, where mortgage borrowers do fall in financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 15/06/2023 15:18:03 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1646839

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage of existing ATMs that will be protected under the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Bill to ensure the continued provision of free-to-use cash access services.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL8729
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The government has recently legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. The Act establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. As part of this responsibility, the FCA must also seek to ensure that there is reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities in relation to personal current accounts.</p><p> </p><p>The FCA will be responsible for determining what constitutes “reasonable provision”. In doing so, the regulator must have regard to a Cash Access Policy Statement that will be published by the government in due course, any local deficiencies in cash access services that the regulator has identified and considers to be significant, and other factors that it considers to be relevant.</p><p> </p><p>ATMs play an important role in the availability of cash withdrawal facilities. Decisions regarding the operation and funding arrangements of an ATM network are taken by the parties involved. LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has made commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK publishes information on the number of protected ATMs monthly, and ATMs can be suggested for protected status via LINK’s website: <a href="https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/request-access-to-cash/suggest-an-atm-for-protected-status/" target="_blank">https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/request-access-to-cash/suggest-an-atm-for-protected-status/</a></p><p> </p><p>According to LINK data for March 2023, there were around 39,000 free-to-use ATMs across the UK. Further information is available at: <a href="https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/" target="_blank">https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Penn grouped question UIN HL8730 question first answered 04/07/2023 15:26:37 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1646840

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the implementation of the Financial Services and Markets Bill, whether they anticipate that any changes will be made to the funding model for ATM operators to help to keep ATMs operational on a free-to-use basis.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL8730
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The government has recently legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. The Act establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. As part of this responsibility, the FCA must also seek to ensure that there is reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities in relation to personal current accounts.</p><p> </p><p>The FCA will be responsible for determining what constitutes “reasonable provision”. In doing so, the regulator must have regard to a Cash Access Policy Statement that will be published by the government in due course, any local deficiencies in cash access services that the regulator has identified and considers to be significant, and other factors that it considers to be relevant.</p><p> </p><p>ATMs play an important role in the availability of cash withdrawal facilities. Decisions regarding the operation and funding arrangements of an ATM network are taken by the parties involved. LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has made commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK publishes information on the number of protected ATMs monthly, and ATMs can be suggested for protected status via LINK’s website: <a href="https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/request-access-to-cash/suggest-an-atm-for-protected-status/" target="_blank">https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/request-access-to-cash/suggest-an-atm-for-protected-status/</a></p><p> </p><p>According to LINK data for March 2023, there were around 39,000 free-to-use ATMs across the UK. Further information is available at: <a href="https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/" target="_blank">https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Penn grouped question UIN HL8729 question first answered 04/07/2023 15:26:37 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1686929

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Hospitality Industry: Government Assistance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist the hospitality industry in the UK, following both the coronavirus pandemic and cost of living crisis; and what consideration they have given to reducing VAT to 10 per cent for the hospitality industry.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL2136
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2024 answer text <p>Since the start of the pandemic, over £37 billion has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.</p><p>The Government announced a package of business rates support at Autumn Statement 2022 which means businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, including pubs, will receive a tax cut worth over £2 billion in 2023-24. The UK also has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD, which keeps most businesses out of the VAT system altogether.</p><p>VAT is the UK's third largest tax forecast to raise £161 billion in 2023/24, helping to fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS, education and defence. The previous VAT relief for tourism and hospitality cost over £8 billion and reintroducing it would come at a significant further cost.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 13/02/2024 11:56:50 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1302060

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2021
	answering body	Northern Ireland Office
	answering dept id	21
	answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
	answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
	hansard heading	Northern Ireland Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the position set out in the Joint Declaration 1993, that they have “no selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland”, is their current policy.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL14151
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2021 answer text <p>This Government has always been clear about the importance it places on the Union and Northern Ireland’s integral place within it.</p><p> </p><p>Our commitment to promoting the positives of the Union for Northern Ireland does not negate the principles of the Belfast Agreement, including the Principle of Consent providing that any change in Northern Ireland's position in the Union, will only come about based on the consent of a majority of its people.</p><p> </p><p>The joint declaration in 1993 was an important part of the architecture that led to the Belfast Agreement in 1998 and of the peace process which has brought huge benefit to the people of Northern Ireland and we remain committed to the principles it espoused, the Agreement itself and the institutions it established.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 24/03/2021 13:42:47 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian