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1713284

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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	Seeds
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 there are no delays by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in processing applications for new seed varieties; and when they will determine the causes of the current backlog of applications so that in future new varieties are made available to UK growers in a timely manner.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Caithness
uin	HL4025
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The backlog of applications for variety listing following EU exit has now largely been resolved.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency and Defra are working closely with stakeholders to monitor the processes involved in variety listing and are currently instigating improvements and resilience in the system.</p><p> </p><p>The UK authorities are working together to develop the first UK Plant Variety and Seeds strategy. Following a Call for Ideas and further industry engagement, additional improvements in the plant variety listing process are anticipated.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 29/04/2024 14:40:41 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	3310 label Biography information for The Earl of Caithness

1713296

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
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	Wildlife: Conservation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of animal population decline in other countries on the UK, following the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 which showed that worldwide animal populations have declined by 69 per cent since 1970.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL4037
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK is susceptible to impacts from animal population decline worldwide through global impacts on food supply and the increasing emergence and transmission of diseases. For example, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Pollinators Assessment showed that 35% of global crop production volume depends on animal pollination, while the IPBES Workshop report on Biodiversity and Pandemics showed that over 30% of emerging disease events are caused by land-use change and its impacts on wildlife. Healthy ecosystems are also vital for mitigating and adapting to climate change, thus animal population declines may also exacerbate the climate impacts felt by the UK, as set out in the UK’s Climate Change Risk Assessment. The UK Government with others continues to support the work of the IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to further understand these global impacts.</p><p> </p><p>A recently published report from the Green Finance Institute, entitled ‘Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK’, with direction from Defra and others, showed that about half of all UK nature-related risk comes from overseas, through supply chains and financial exposures. It showed that the combination of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation could lead to major economic shocks leading to UK Gross Domestic Product being up to 12% lower that it may otherwise have been by the 2030s (even lower when combined with climate impacts).</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 26/04/2024 13:43:36 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

1712650

registered interest
date	22/04/2024
answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept id	215
answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
hansard heading	Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Eligibility
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the evidence base used to underpin the decision, announced by Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in March in its Boiler Upgrade Scheme Consultation Response, that future grant applicants' compliance with Energy Performance Certificate recommendations will be optional.
tabling member printed	Lord Stunell
uin	HL4011
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government response to the consultation on amendments to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme sets out the responses received by industry stakeholders, including evidence to support the removal of the legal requirement to have no outstanding recommendations for cavity and loft insulation which was determined a barrier to access the scheme.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 24/04/2024 13:40:56 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	445 label Biography information for Lord Stunell

1702568

registered interest
date	19/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government which organisations (1) receiving funding through the Department for Education, or (2) holding contracts related to the work of the Department, between 1 January and 22 April have been notified of either (a) a reduction in, or (b) the cancellation of, their funding, broken down by category; which of those organisations will have funding withdrawn (i) in the current financial year, or (ii) over the next two financial years; and what is the total amount that will be withdrawn for such organisations over those periods.
tabling member printed	Lord Blunkett
uin	HL3970
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 29/04/2024 12:33:26 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	395 label Biography information for Lord Blunkett

1702575

registered interest
date	19/04/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Motor Vehicles: Lighting
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will support any proposal at UNECE’s Working Party 29 in June to re-establish the Informal Working Group on (vehicle headlight) glare.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
uin	HL3977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK will consider any proposals at UNECE Working Party 29 on their merits based on a range of factors, including the availability and assessment of new independent evidence or justification. The UK government has committed to research headlamp glare to identify root causes and potential countermeasures, which may in due course support the establishment of a UNECE Informal Working Group to develop, amend and implement changes to the appropriate international regulations.</p> answering member printed Lord Davies of Gower question first answered 26/04/2024 11:08:59 answering member 4499 label Biography information for Lord Davies of Gower
tabling member	4159 label Biography information for Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town

1702316

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
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	Magnetic Resonance Imagers: Helium
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 minimal usage of helium in MRI scanners in NHS facilities in the light of the global shortage of helium; and what steps they are taking to ensure all helium in scanners being replaced is reused appropriately.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3927
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>Suppliers of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners are moving to a sealed helium solution, whereby the helium required to cool the magnet is approximately 0.5% of the current levels. These sealed systems will also ensure MRI scanners do not require further helium to be added during years of operational use.</p><p>Furthermore, suppliers are now replacing MRI scanners without requiring the magnet to be replaced, though this is only available for the first replacement cycle, whereby the scanner is fully replaced, but the existing magnet and helium are retained.</p><p>With regards to the Department, as set out in the recent Medical Technology Strategy: One Year On publication, the Design for Life Programme has been stood up to work with industry, the health and care sector, and academic partners to develop medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and material recovery becoming the default. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, digital, and policy environments that support this aim. The Department’s intention is to publish a roadmap later this year to articulate our relevant findings and plans moving forward.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 25/04/2024 14:24:02 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1702319

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
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	Food: Waste
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of high levels of pollutants in food produced near waste incinerators in Europe; and whether they have any plans to conduct similar assessments in the UK.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) has not made any assessment of reports on this subject and does not plan to conduct any such assessments in England.</p><p> </p><p>The impact on food produced in proximity to waste incinerators is considered as part of environmental permitting regulations. The EA is responsible for deciding whether new incinerators in England should get a permit to operate. For each permit application it receives, the EA uses the results of air quality modelling and a human health risk assessment (HHRA) to determine the impact of the proposed incinerator.</p><p> </p><p>The HHRA assesses impacts on the food chain. Impact assessments are very conservative and permit decisions are based on worst-case scenario impacts.</p><p> </p><p>The EA also consults the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on every permit application it receives and will not issue a permit if the proposed plant could cause significant pollution or harm to human health, including via the food chain.</p><p> </p><p>The FSA is responsible for the management of public health risks in relation to food. In general, the FSA considers that if incinerator facilities are correctly operated and monitored, with the appropriate level of emissions abatement, there should be no impact on the local area in terms of elevated levels of contaminants in soil and locally produced food. Measures are in place to manage the risk from chemical contaminants and keep levels as low as reasonably achievable through good practices and regulatory controls.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 26/04/2024 11:06:48 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1702321

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how the performance of open-access operators compares with the major operator of services on the routes which they share.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL3932
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The Office of Rail and Road collects and publishes data on cancellations, reliability and punctuality of all rail operators, including Open Access operators. This is set out in the attached table.</p> answering member printed Lord Davies of Gower question first answered 29/04/2024 13:14:01 answering member 4499 label Biography information for Lord Davies of Gower attachment 1 file name Table of Performance of Open Access Operators.pdf title Table of Performance of Open Access Operators
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1702322

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to develop a recovery strategy for rail routes on which reduced services following the COVID-19 pandemic but have now recouped revenue and passenger numbers.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL3933
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>As the pandemic has changed travel habits, train operators are using this opportunity to reassess their services to provide rail timetables that respond to new passenger travel patterns, and carefully balance cost, capacity and performance.</p><p> </p><p>Timetables should be demand-led and built with flexibility in mind, so if passenger numbers increase as we continue to recover from the pandemic, we can look to accommodate additional services. Where operators have modified their timetables, the changes are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand. Additional services will be included in the upcoming timetable change.</p> answering member printed Lord Davies of Gower question first answered 29/04/2024 13:13:13 answering member 4499 label Biography information for Lord Davies of Gower
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1702336

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
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	Import Controls: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of border control posts ahead of the introduction of the common user charge on 30 April; and what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the common user charge on the UK’s environmental horticulture industry.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman of Ullock
uin	HL3947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>Defra is confident that existing and new BCP infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed.</p><p> </p><p>Defra will continue to work with existing BCP operators to ensure they are prepared, and the Government has built new infrastructure at critical locations.</p><p> </p><p>Operators have not expressed concerns regarding under-capacity, we are therefore not anticipating queues but will continue working closely with operators to address any concerns they may have.</p><p> </p><p>The common user charge for BCP operating costs applies only to UK government-run BCPs. Commercial operators will independently set BCP charges for their own facilities.</p><p> </p><p>The impact of the Common User Charge (CUC) on businesses of all sizes will be kept under monthly and quarterly reviews, with rates reviewed and updated annually.</p><p> </p><p>Full details of the CUC can be found on GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 29/04/2024 13:12:24 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock