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1659261

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools have not returned a reinforced autoclave aerated concrete survey; and what actions they are taking to ensure the safety of teachers and pupils in schools where the safety of buildings is not yet known.
	tabling member printed	Earl Russell
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2023 answer text <p>Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.</p><p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.</p><p>The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance</a>.</p><p>There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.</p><p>The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.</p><p>The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.</p><p>Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.</p><p>All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.</p><p>Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.</p><p>While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.</p><p>The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.</p><p>All previously confirmed School Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme</a>.</p><p>Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/</a><a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/04/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">.</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL9957 question first answered 19/09/2023 11:36:06 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4983 label Biography information for Earl Russell

967507

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	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	Turkey: British Nationals Abroad
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 August (HL9596), whether ministers have discussed with their counterparts the conditions under which British nationals are held in Turkish jails; and whether any complaints have been raised by them over the way Turkish nationals in British jails have been treated in the last five years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2018 answer text <p>No Ministerial level discussions have taken place with their counterparts on the conditions of Turkish prisons where British nationals are held. As mentioned on 1 August, a detained British national can contact our Embassy with any concerns about prison conditions and impact on their welfare. Consular staff will then raise these concerns directly with the appropriate authorities. We are not aware of any complaints raised by the Turkish authorities in the past five years with regards to the treatment of Turkish nationals in British jails.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/09/2018 15:08:22 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1249004

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No.4) Regulations 2020, what evidence was used to inform the decision to close certain categories of businesses; and what plans they have to publish any such evidence.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McGregor-Smith
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>We believe the new regulations strike the right balance to take urgent action to stem the spread of the virus while also allowing essential retail to stay open and allowing the hospitality sector to remain open for delivery and takeaway.</p><p>Throughout this crisis, the Government and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, have provided robust scientific evidence and advice to guide decisions regarding the measures taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Indoor settings carry higher environmental risks, due to the close proximity of people and a longer duration of exposure. This evidence continues to be published online.</p><p>On 2 December, restrictions will expire, and we intend to return to a tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell grouped question UIN HL9997 question first answered 16/11/2020 13:15:17 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	4554 label Biography information for Baroness McGregor-Smith

1659260

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Metropolitan Police: ICT
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect police officers following a security breach of an IT supplier to the Metropolitan Police.
	tabling member printed	Earl Russell
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2023 answer text <p>Digital ID, an IT supplier to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) advised them on 26 August 2023 that they had been subject to a ransomware attack, potentially putting at risk data for officers and staff.</p><p> </p><p>The MPS immediately put in place appropriate security measures following the incident and reported the incident to the National Crime Agency and the Information Commissioner’s Office.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office, along with the National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre is engaged with both the MPS and Digital ID to investigate and provide support.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 20/09/2023 13:31:30 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	4983 label Biography information for Earl Russell

967506

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	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	Christopher Allen
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have provided to the family of the British citizen, Christopher Allen, who was killed in South Sudan in August 2017.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Northover
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2018 answer text <p>​US consular services contacted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for advice regarding Christopher Allen’s death in South Sudan, a dual US/UK national. Consular assistance was provided by the US consular services in Sudan and the USA, following the decision by the family to repatriate Mr Allen to the USA.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL9993 HL9994 question first answered 12/09/2018 15:44:14 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover

1249003

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Modern Slavery Act 2015
	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 effectiveness of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9994
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2020 answer text <p>The landmark transparency provisions contained in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on their work to prevent and address modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.</p><p>Under the current provisions, if a commercial organisation does not comply with the duty to provide a modern slavery statement, the Home Secretary can apply for a court injunction which mandates compliance. The Government has also committed to considering enforcement options in line with the ongoing development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights, led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.</p><p>However, if someone has concerns about an organisation’s modern slavery statement they could write to the Board of Directors (or equivalent) as the Act requires a modern slavery statement to be approved by the Board and signed by a Director (or equivalent) to ensure senior level accountability for modern slavery. The Government expects an organisation’s senior leadership to take responsibility for their company’s modern slavery statement to ensure they are a fair reflection of the circumstances and the action they are taking.</p><p>The Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, which was commissioned in 2018 and delivered its final report in 2019, credited section 54 with making modern slavery “a business-critical issue” and increasing “board-level scrutiny and engagement.”</p><p>The Independent Review also made recommendations designed to improve the effectiveness of the Act’s transparency provisions. The Government accepted the majority of the Review’s recommendations and on 9 July 2019 the Home Office launched a public consultation seeking views on proposals to strengthen the Act’s transparency legislation.</p><p>Following widespread support from a broad coalition of business, civil society and public sector respondents, the Government response, published on 22 September 2020, committed to taking forwards an ambitious package of changes to strengthen and future-proof transparency, including:</p><ul><li>Extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more;</li><li>Mandating the specific reporting topics statements must cover;</li><li>Requiring organisations to publish their statement on the new Government digital reporting service;</li><li>Setting a single reporting deadline by which all modern slavery statements must be published.</li></ul><p>Addressing modern slavery risks is a complex, long-term task, and the new measures are designed to incentivise organisations to demonstrate year-on-year progress in key areas and take targeted action based on where their risks are highest.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL9993 question first answered 18/11/2020 17:46:30 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

1659259

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	UN General Assembly
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government on what grounds the Prime Minister has decided not to attend the UN General Assembly this month.
	tabling member printed	Earl Russell
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9994
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government delegation to the UN General Assembly High Level Week on 18-22 September will be led by the Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by the Foreign Secretary, myself Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon as Minister of State for the UN, Minister Mitchell as Minister for Development and Minister Stuart as Minister for Net Zero. Building on the significant announcements made by the PM at the G20 in New Delhi, the UK delegation will show how these, and other UK priorities can be advanced through multilateralism as we work alongside a wide range of countries, ahead of major Artificial Intelligence and food security summits in the UK later this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/09/2023 13:30:11 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4983 label Biography information for Earl Russell

967505

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	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	Christopher Allen
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the South Sudanese authorities about the killing of the British citizen, Christopher Allen, in August 2017.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Northover
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9994
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2018 answer text <p>​US consular services contacted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for advice regarding Christopher Allen’s death in South Sudan, a dual US/UK national. Consular assistance was provided by the US consular services in Sudan and the USA, following the decision by the family to repatriate Mr Allen to the USA.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL9993 HL9995 question first answered 12/09/2018 15:44:14 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover

1249002

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Slavery: Companies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the process for a complaint to be made against a company that has failed to make a disclosure under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9993
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2020 answer text <p>The landmark transparency provisions contained in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on their work to prevent and address modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.</p><p>Under the current provisions, if a commercial organisation does not comply with the duty to provide a modern slavery statement, the Home Secretary can apply for a court injunction which mandates compliance. The Government has also committed to considering enforcement options in line with the ongoing development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights, led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.</p><p>However, if someone has concerns about an organisation’s modern slavery statement they could write to the Board of Directors (or equivalent) as the Act requires a modern slavery statement to be approved by the Board and signed by a Director (or equivalent) to ensure senior level accountability for modern slavery. The Government expects an organisation’s senior leadership to take responsibility for their company’s modern slavery statement to ensure they are a fair reflection of the circumstances and the action they are taking.</p><p>The Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, which was commissioned in 2018 and delivered its final report in 2019, credited section 54 with making modern slavery “a business-critical issue” and increasing “board-level scrutiny and engagement.”</p><p>The Independent Review also made recommendations designed to improve the effectiveness of the Act’s transparency provisions. The Government accepted the majority of the Review’s recommendations and on 9 July 2019 the Home Office launched a public consultation seeking views on proposals to strengthen the Act’s transparency legislation.</p><p>Following widespread support from a broad coalition of business, civil society and public sector respondents, the Government response, published on 22 September 2020, committed to taking forwards an ambitious package of changes to strengthen and future-proof transparency, including:</p><ul><li>Extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more;</li><li>Mandating the specific reporting topics statements must cover;</li><li>Requiring organisations to publish their statement on the new Government digital reporting service;</li><li>Setting a single reporting deadline by which all modern slavery statements must be published.</li></ul><p>Addressing modern slavery risks is a complex, long-term task, and the new measures are designed to incentivise organisations to demonstrate year-on-year progress in key areas and take targeted action based on where their risks are highest.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL9994 question first answered 18/11/2020 17:46:30 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

1659258

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2023
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Mental Health Services: Young People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure young people have timely access to mental health services.
	tabling member printed	Earl Russell
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9993
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2023 answer text <p>Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion per year by March 2024 to enable an extra two million people in England, including 345,000 children and young people, to access National Health Service-funded mental health support.</p><p>We also provided an additional £500 million for 2021/22, targeting those groups whose mental health has been most affected by the pandemic, including children and young people. Within the £500 million, £79 million was invested to allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services, 2,000 more to access eating disorder services and a faster increase in the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges. £13 million was invested to ensure young adults aged 18 to 25, including university students, were supported with tailored mental health support, helping bridge the gap between children’s and adult services.</p><p>In February, NHS England published the outcomes of its consultation on the potential to introduce five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services, including that children and young people should start to receive care within four weeks from referral, as part of its clinically led review of National Health Service access standards. We are now working with NHS England on the next steps.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 14/09/2023 10:35:39 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
	tabling member	4983 label Biography information for Earl Russell