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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

1144088

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Eastwood Park Prison
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take following the report of the Chief Inspector of Prison Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Eastwood Park; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for the failure to prevent the conditions disclosed in the report arising.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL17576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ recent report on HMP/YOI Eastwood Park was published on 28th August 2019. HMPPS take all recommendations made by the HM Chief Inspector seriously. A<br>detailed action plan has been produced to address the recommendations in the report. The action plan has been published on the prison finder website and has been provided for my noble Lord</p><p>We are aware of the deterioration of unit 2 due to leaking showers as highlighted in the report. Bids for funding have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice’s Projects Team to address the issues. In<br>the meantime, the Prison Governor continues to meet monthly with Gov Facility Services Limited and the Service Delivery Manager to assess conditions across the prison and ensure those areas<br>needing remedial works are addressed promptly.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 09/09/2019 16:22:16 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1144092

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the Social Metrics Commission Measuring Poverty 2019, published in July, and the appointment of the new Prime Minister on 24 July, what plans they have to revise their strategy for tackling poverty.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL17580
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><ins class="ministerial">The Government is committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to poverty through reforming the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the Labour market to support employment and higher pay. Promoting full-time work through work incentives are a key feature of this approach, reinforced by the National Living Wage and the rising Personal Tax Allowance, which work together to promote independence from benefits.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Universal Credit, which is now reaching over 2 million households, has already shown that it is more effective in getting people into work than the legacy benefits it replaces. Nine months into a UC claim, 40% of claimants are working for an employer in a paid role, compared with only 23% at the start of their claim. </ins><br /> <br /><ins class="ministerial"> The number of people in employment has increased by over 3.7 million since 2010. Three-quarters of the growth in employment has been in full-time work which substantially reduces the chances of being in poverty.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Government is working with the Social Metrics Commission, and other experts in the field, to develop new experimental statistics which will help us to find new and better ways to analyse poverty in this country. These will be published in 2020 and, in the long-run, could help us target support more effectively.</ins></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 09/09/2019 15:23:29 question first ministerially corrected 30/09/2019 14:54:43 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott previous answer version 134826 answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

1144099

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Ports: Road Traffic Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have (1) considered, and (2) taken, at Dover, and other ports or terminals, to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the event of the UK leaving the EU on 31 October.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL17587
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government has worked closely with the Kent Resilience Forum to ensure that traffic can continue to flow for the cross-channel ports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the 31st October. A new plan, Operating BROCK, has been developed to keep the M20 open if there are any delays resulting from disruption at the border. There are also extensive plans to ensure that traders and hauliers are border ready which should mitigate and minimise disruption at all ports.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/09/2019 14:30:47 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1144100

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Great Western Railway: Trains
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the contracted level of reliability in regard to failures in the service specified in the contract between the Department for Transport and Hitachi for provision of CL800 Inter City Express trains for the Great Western Railway.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL17588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The contract for the provision of Class 800 Inter-City Express trains for the Great Western Railway between the Secretary of State for Transport and Agility Trains West includes an availability-based performance regime where deductions from payments are made if trains are not made available for passenger service. As such, while the agreement between the Secretary of State and Agility Trains West does not include a contracted level of reliability it states a number of circumstances, including failures of trains in service, where payment deductions apply.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/09/2019 14:28:28 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1144101

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	East Midlands Rail Franchise: Trains
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what specification of reliability in terms of failures in service has been sought from Hitachi in the delivery of trains ordered for the East Midlands Trains franchise.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL17589
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>This is a commercial matter between Abellio East Midlands Railway and Hitachi.</p><p> </p><p>East Midlands Railway has separate contractual requirements for its overall operational performance with the Department.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/09/2019 14:27:37 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1144102

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: 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 reasons for any reduction in the number and frequency of rural bus services since 2015.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL17590
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Bus passenger journeys declined in rural areas in England by 9.3% from 286 million journeys in 2014/15 to 259 million journeys in 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of public transport on the sustainability and independence of rural communities, and provides £43 million of the Bus Service Operators Grant each year directly to local authorities so that they can subsidise bus services. In addition, as part of the 2018-19 local government finance settlement, the Government increased the Rural Services Delivery Grant to £81 million. The 2019-20 settlement increased the Grant to the same level.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/09/2019 14:26:42 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1144103

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Ports: Railways
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to connect all UK ports dealing with shipping containers to the railway network.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL17591
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Rail freight and ports are intrinsically linked, with most of the UK’s major ports using rail for onwards distribution. Rail moves 1 in 4 of all intermodal shipping containers which are imported or exported and 18 ports in England have a direct and active rail connection to the national network, with a further 6 ports having operational rail connections (but no current timetabled freight trains).</p><p> </p><p>Intermodal freight is now the biggest rail freight sector and the Department and Network Rail welcome discussions with port operators that wish to enhance their rail freight provision, particularly for container traffic.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has recently announced a £30M fund for port infrastructure connectivity in England – this includes potential funding for development of rail connectivity (specific schemes yet to be determined).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/09/2019 14:29:15 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1144104

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	A34: M40
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many accidents including death or serious injury have occurred in each of the last five years for which figures are available on the A34 section of the junction with the M40; and in how many such accidents Heavy Goods Vehicles were involved.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL17592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The number of fatal and serious accidents occurring on the A34 section of the junction with the M40 for the last five years for which figures are available is given in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Number of fatal or serious reported road accidents on the A34 section of the junction with the M40<sup>1</sup>, 2013 to 2017</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of accidents</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>Source: DfT Stats19</em></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>1. Includes the 100m section of the A34 leading to the junction.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The serious accident which occurred at this junction in 2014 involved a car and a goods vehicle of unknown weight.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/09/2019 14:29:46 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw