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1144063

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that employers use at least half of their apprenticeship levy spend on new starters.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL17551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The apprenticeship programme is employer-led. The department’s reforms have put employers in the driving seat, supporting them to design the high-quality apprenticeship standards that meet their skills needs. It is also for employers to decide which apprenticeships they offer, when, and to whom.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Apprenticeships provide valuable opportunities for people of all ages. While the department has no current plans to restrict the use of employer’s levy funds, all aspects of the programme will be kept under review in response to employer feedback and as preparations for a comprehensive Spending Review next year continue.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:52:41 question first ministerially corrected 04/10/2019 11:10:59 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135182 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144064

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that employers use at least half of their apprenticeship levy spend on apprentices who are under 30 years of age.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL17552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The apprenticeship programme is employer-led. The department’s reforms have put employers in the driving seat, supporting them to design the high-quality apprenticeship standards that meet their skills needs. It is also for employers to decide which apprenticeships they offer, when, and to whom.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Apprenticeships provide valuable opportunities for people of all ages. While the department has no current plans to restrict the use of employer’s levy funds, all aspects of the programme will be kept under review in response to employer feedback and as preparations for a comprehensive Spending Review next year continue.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/09/2019 16:52:41 question first ministerially corrected 04/10/2019 11:10:45 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton previous answer version 135660 answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144065

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates
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 effectiveness, and (2) the fairness of the current system of business rates; and what plans they have to change the current system.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL17553
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Business rates currently raise £25 billion per year in England, and are an important source of funding for key local services such as adult social care and children’s services.</p><p> </p><p>The Government concluded a fundamental review of business rates in 2016, and respondents agreed that property based taxes were easy to collect, difficult to avoid, relatively stable and clearly linked with local authority spending.</p><p> </p><p>In line with stakeholder responses, the Government therefore decided to keep business rates as a property tax.</p> answering member printed The Earl of Courtown question first answered 09/09/2019 15:38:36 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144066

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates: Retail Trade
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the 25 per cent contribution that the retail sector currently makes to business rates receipts.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL17554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government has taken repeated action to reduce the burden of business rates for all ratepayers including retailers. The Government’s Plan for the High Street announced at Budget 2018 provides £1 billion of upfront support through a new retail discount, cutting retailers’ business rates bills by a third for two years from 1 April 2019 subject to eligibility.</p><p> </p><p>Reforms and reliefs announced since Budget 2016 are reducing business rates by more than £13 billion over the next five years. This includes switching from RPI to CPI indexation, increasing the threshold for the standard multiplier to £51,000 and doubling the threshold for Small Business Rate Relief, meaning 675,000 of the smallest businesses pay no business rates at all.</p> answering member printed The Earl of Courtown question first answered 09/09/2019 15:40:28 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144067

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 November 2018 (HL10924), how the strength of the UK Armed Forces has changed since that answer; and what action they plan to take to meet the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2020 targets.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL17555
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Since Earl Howe’s Written Answer on 1 November 2018, the Trained Strength of the Armed Forces has dropped from 139,788 on 1 July 2018 to 137,409 on 1 July 2019.</p><p> </p><p>It remains a priority for each Service to meet the target for Armed Forces personnel strength in 2020, and there are a range of measures both already in progress and in the pipeline to improve the position. These include the introduction of the Armed Forces People Programme to modernise aspects of the employment offer, including scope for flexible working and the Future Accommodation Model.</p><p> </p><p>The strength of the Armed Forces is published every three months and can be found in Table 3a of the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:34:57 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144068

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Origin Marking
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether current (1) protected designation of origin, (2) protected geographical indication, and (3) traditional specialities guaranteed, schemes for products will be enforceable after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL17556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 09/09/2019 16:32:29 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1144069

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Sudan: Overseas Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional aid, if any, they have allocated for Sudan following the signing of the peace deal on 17 August; and what conditions they have placed on any (1) current, and (2) future, aid to Sudan.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL17557
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2019 answer text <p>The UK is committed to working with partners to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in Sudan including 8.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid. UK aid is channelled through multilateral organisations, international Non-Governmental Organisations and commercial partners that have a strong track record of delivering in Sudan. This UKAid will provide at least £50 million per year in humanitarian and development assistance to Sudan. By 2021 we will have aided at least 2 million people every year who are affected by conflict, climate and an unreliable food supply.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 26/09/2019 16:47:24 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1144070

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Sudan: Press Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to support a free press in Sudan through the introduction of journalism training programmes.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL17558
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2019 answer text <p>The UK expressed its concern over restrictions to the media, freedom of expression and journalists in Sudan under the previous regime and during the recent unrest. The UK made public statement calling for the restrictions on the media to be lifted, and the joint DFID and FCO Minister for Africa relayed this message directly when summoning the Sudanese Ambassador to the FCO on 7 June 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The UK supported Sudan’s participation in the Media Freedom conference in London in July 2019. The UK will work with the transitional government, media and civil society organisations to support freedom of the media and press and an open civic space in Sudan to support pathway to a democratic future.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 26/09/2019 16:47:54 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1144071

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Eritrea: Politics and Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Eritrea about (1) ending indefinite conscription, and (2) parliamentarians who have been detained since 2001; and what additional aid, if any, was allocated to Eritrea as a result of international sanctions being lifted.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL17559
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We continue to be concerned by reports that indefinite conscription is ongoing in Eritrea. We raise human rights in Eritrea regularly, both directly with the Government, as the former Minister for Africa did with the Eritrean President's senior adviser when she saw him in July, and when our Ambassador in Asmara saw the same advisor in August. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><ins class="ministerial">In a statement at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council on 12 July the UK welcomed the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, which we co-sponsored. The UK also urged Eritrea to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and to reform national service, implement the constitution, respect freedom of religion or belief, and release all those in arbitrary detention – including, but not exclusive to detained parliamentarians; journalists; and those observing banned religions. </ins></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><ins class="ministerial"><ins class="ministerial">No additional aid has been allocated as a result of sanctions being lifted. The Department for International Development (DfID) has funded life-saving activity in Eritrea for several years, including providing £3.24m to UNICEF in 2018-19 to help treat malnutrition in under-fives and provide access to safe hygiene and sanitation services. DFID has extended this funding to UNICEF Eritrea until March 2021.</ins></ins></ins></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 09/09/2019 16:29:22 question first ministerially corrected 01/10/2019 10:53:35 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon previous answer version 133916 answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1144072

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Hong Kong: Politics and Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to secure the support of Commonwealth countries to provide Hong Kong citizens with a second citizenship and potential place of abode should China resile on its commitment to one country, two systems.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL17560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We maintain that the best solution for all the people of Hong Kong, including the British national (overseas) passport holders that live there, is full respect for the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework which is set out in the Joint Declaration.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Joint Declaration remains fully valid. It is a legally binding international treaty registered with the UN. Its objectives clearly apply to both signatories – The People's Republic of China and the UK. It remains in force, and remains acutely relevant to the conduct of life in Hong Kong. We expect China to abide by its obligations and to uphold the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Whilst we will continue to raise the situation in Hong Kong with a wide range of international partners, it is for individual countries to decide their own policy on citizenship issues.</ins></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 09/09/2019 16:29:06 question first ministerially corrected 01/10/2019 10:52:47 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon previous answer version 133917 answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool