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711186

registered interest
date	14/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Parliament: Internet
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to his Written Answer on 7 March (HL5612), what is the industry standard categorising service; who within the Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) is responsible for the service; whether there is a contract or other service level agreement between PDS and the service; whether PDS pays for the service, and if so, how much is paid annually; whether the service reports to PDS in respect of its activities and decisions, and if so, how; whether its classification of websites is advisory or mandatory; whether Parliament is free to over-ride its classification of religion-based hate websites; and if so, why there are no plans to unblock the "Religion of Peace" website.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL6074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2017 answer text <p>The Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) uses the Check Point URL filtering service to categorise websites, and currently blocks a range of categories of website from the Parliamentary Estate, including “Hate/Racism”. PDS does not control which websites are put into which category by the filtering service; this is an automated process conducted at an industry level.</p><p>It is not possible to provide an accurate figure regarding the annual cost of the service as it is one of a number of services provided within a contract. With over one billion websites to categorise, it is not practicable for the filtering service to report to PDS in respect of its categorising decisions for particular websites. While it would be possible for PDS to unblock a website that has been included in a blocked category, there are no plans to unblock the “Religion of Peace” website, which has been included in the “Hate/Racism” category, because the site does not appear to have been incorrectly categorised.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith question first answered 23/03/2017 11:53:35 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

694338

registered interest
date	24/02/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Parliament: Internet
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to his Written Answer on 1 February (HL 4961), whether he will give an instruction for the unblocking of the Religion of Peace website on the Parliamentary Estate; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL5612
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2017 answer text <p>Access to the Religion of Peace website has been blocked on the Parliamentary Estate because it has been classified as a religion-based hate website by the Parliamentary Digital Service’s industry standard categorising service. As a result there are no plans for the website to be unblocked.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith question first answered 07/03/2017 15:14:36 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

708689

registered interest
date	06/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Hereditary Peers: By-elections
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will publish the terms of the agreement with Electoral Reform Services to administer the hereditary peers’ by-elections, including the fees paid and the length of the contract.
tabling member printed	Lord Faulkner of Worcester
uin	HL5820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2017 answer text <p>The House has engaged Electoral Reform Services (ERS) to assist with each hereditary peers’ by-election since they were first held in 2003. When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged to administer and supervise the by-election and to provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice. This arrangement has applied each time a by-election is held. A fee is paid for ERS’ services for each by-election; there is no standing contract under which fees are paid to ERS.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the amounts paid to Electoral Reform Services in respect of hereditary peers’ by-elections in each calendar year since 2012.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Amount paid to Electoral Reform Services</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>£3,550</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>£3,245</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>£5,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>£1,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017 (to date)</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Amounts are exclusive of VAT.</p><p> </p><p>The House authorities are currently reviewing the procurement arrangements under which services for hereditary peers’ by-elections are provided.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith grouped question UIN HL5821 HL5822 question first answered 13/03/2017 14:50:31 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	2472 label Biography information for Lord Faulkner of Worcester

708691

registered interest
date	06/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Hereditary Peers: By-elections
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will ensure that an open competition will be held for the contract to administer future hereditary peers’ by-elections.
tabling member printed	Lord Faulkner of Worcester
uin	HL5822
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2017 answer text <p>The House has engaged Electoral Reform Services (ERS) to assist with each hereditary peers’ by-election since they were first held in 2003. When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged to administer and supervise the by-election and to provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice. This arrangement has applied each time a by-election is held. A fee is paid for ERS’ services for each by-election; there is no standing contract under which fees are paid to ERS.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the amounts paid to Electoral Reform Services in respect of hereditary peers’ by-elections in each calendar year since 2012.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Amount paid to Electoral Reform Services</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>£3,550</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>£3,245</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>£5,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>£1,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017 (to date)</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Amounts are exclusive of VAT.</p><p> </p><p>The House authorities are currently reviewing the procurement arrangements under which services for hereditary peers’ by-elections are provided.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith grouped question UIN HL5820 HL5821 question first answered 13/03/2017 14:50:31 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	2472 label Biography information for Lord Faulkner of Worcester

709509

registered interest
date	08/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Peers: ICT
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he intends to obtain feedback from Members of the House who have requested repairs to their parliamentary IT equipment; if so, whether the results of that feedback will be published; and if so, how often.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL5916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2017 answer text <p>The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.</p><p>Every logged call with the Support Desk results in a “closure” email, inviting the customer to leave feedback about the service received from the Digital Service. During the period 13<sup>th</sup> March 2016 to 13<sup>th</sup> March 2017, Lords Members raised 4,217 tickets via the Support Desk. Questionnaires were issued to the originator of each closed ticket. Of the 402 questionnaires completed by Lords Members, 85.8% of respondents rated the service a 7 on a scale from 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest score. The total average score from all respondents was 6.79.</p><p>Performance statistics are reviewed and discussed on a fortnightly basis at the Digital Service’s Senior Management Team meetings, and annual performance statistics are published in the Digital Service Business Plan available on the intranet.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Laming question first answered 20/03/2017 15:19:54 answering member 2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

709508

registered interest
date	08/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Peers: ICT
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he has any plans to improve the repair and maintenance regime for desktop computers issued to Members of the House.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL5915
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2017 answer text <p>The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.</p><p>All Digital Service supplied desktop computers for House of Lords Members are covered by a 3 year manufacturer’s warranty for hardware faults and are repaired or replaced accordingly. Beyond the 3 year warranty the Digital Service will repair or replace the equipment if it fails. The Digital Service provides 24 hour support. Digital Service support staff resolve 92% of calls logged within 24 hours. The Digital Service has established a new Live Services team with a new structure for front-line support. This has a focus on continual learning and upskilling and includes more specialist support, which will deliver a number of operational improvements and efficiencies to the support customers receive.</p><p>All Digital Service issued IT equipment comes with a lifecycle of 4 years, after which equipment is available for replacement. The replacement and repair policy will be reviewed by the Services Committee during 2017.</p> answering member printed Lord Laming question first answered 20/03/2017 15:18:56 answering member 2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

708690

registered interest
date	06/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Hereditary Peers: By-elections
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what organisations other than Electoral Reform Services were considered when the contract to administer the hereditary peers’ by-elections was awarded.
tabling member printed	Lord Faulkner of Worcester
uin	HL5821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2017 answer text <p>The House has engaged Electoral Reform Services (ERS) to assist with each hereditary peers’ by-election since they were first held in 2003. When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged to administer and supervise the by-election and to provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice. This arrangement has applied each time a by-election is held. A fee is paid for ERS’ services for each by-election; there is no standing contract under which fees are paid to ERS.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the amounts paid to Electoral Reform Services in respect of hereditary peers’ by-elections in each calendar year since 2012.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Amount paid to Electoral Reform Services</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>£3,550</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>£3,245</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>£5,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>£1,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017 (to date)</p></td><td><p>Nil</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Amounts are exclusive of VAT.</p><p> </p><p>The House authorities are currently reviewing the procurement arrangements under which services for hereditary peers’ by-elections are provided.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith grouped question UIN HL5820 HL5822 question first answered 13/03/2017 14:50:31 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	2472 label Biography information for Lord Faulkner of Worcester

694339

registered interest
date	24/02/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Peers: Per Capita Costs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the average cost to the British taxpayer, including salary and expenses but excluding building maintenance costs, of a member of the House of Lords.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL5613
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2017 answer text <p>For the 2015-16 financial year the cost of the House of Lords excluding Estates and Works expenditure and non-cash costs (e.g. depreciation) was £67,932,000. As at 31 March 2016 there were 814 members, making the average cost of a member on this basis £83,000.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith question first answered 07/03/2017 15:14:02 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

709507

registered interest
date	08/03/2017
answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
answering dept id	204
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
hansard heading	Peers: ICT
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what arrangements for IT training have been made for Members of the House in the last three years; and how that training is accessed.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL5914
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2017 answer text <p>The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.</p><p>Previously Parliamentary ICT, and now the Digital Service, has provided IT training and coaching for Members. Training is provided on request and can be accessed via the Support Desk, Drop-in Centre, Digital Support Online and Head of Member Services. More specifically, to enhance the service for Members, since October 2015 the Digital Service has employed an IT coach with a primary focus on House of Lords Members.</p><p>Over the course of the last year, the Digital Service received and acted upon 92 requests for training from House of Lords Members.</p><p>Since the Digital Service was created, it has recruited 13 User Engagement Officers and Leads, and appointed a third party training contract, to ensure sufficient end-user training and coaching is offered and available for the rollout of new and updated member services, including Microsoft Office 365 and Skype for Business. The Digital Service is also planning on recruiting additional staff to strengthen the facilitation and delivery of IT coaching to customers.</p> answering member printed Lord Laming question first answered 20/03/2017 15:18:06 answering member 2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

709112

registered interest
date	07/03/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 February (HL Deb cols 1860–1861) about unaccompanied child refugees, what is their response to the report by the British Red Cross <i>Can’t Stay, Can’t Go</i> concerning refused asylum seekers who cannot be returned.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5869
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2017 answer text <p>We are reviewing the report and its findings, but our position remains that individuals who have been found not to need protection and have exhausted all legal avenues in the UK are expected to take steps to leave the UK as soon as possible. If they do not, we will seek to enforce their removal.</p><p> </p><p>The Immigration Act 2016 (‘the Act’) includes measures to remove incentives for migrants to remain in the UK where they have no lawful basis for doing so.</p><p> </p><p>However, failed asylum seekers, including failed asylum seeking families may be eligible for ongoing support while there is a genuine obstacle to their departure. As now, what constitutes a genuine obstacle is expected to include non-receipt of a travel document or a medical reason why they cannot travel. We would to continue to expect failed asylum seekers to demonstrate they are taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We want to support those who genuinely need our protection, but also send out a very clear message to those who seek to use the system to gain an unfair immigration advantage.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/03/2017 15:26:14 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool