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1141902

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	North Korea: Droughts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of an early season drought in North Korea and its impact on harvests, food production, health and levels of malnutrition in that country.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL17446
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>The humanitarian situation in DPRK is a grave concern. The UN estimates that rainfall levels are relatively low in North Korea and food production is subsequently estimated at about 5 million tons, the lowest in 10 years. 10.1 million people – 40% of the population – require food assistance.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 05/08/2019 15:53:07 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1141907

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Royal Regiment of Scotland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government by how much the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland are under strength.
tabling member printed	Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
uin	HL17451
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>The current strength against workforce requirement for the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland can be found in the table.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Strength and workforce requirement of the battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland:</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>The Royal Regiment of Scotland</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Strength</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Workforce Requirement</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Regular Battalions</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>267</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland</p></td><td><p>480</p></td><td><p>628</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland</p></td><td><p>480</p></td><td><p>628</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland</p></td><td><p>620</p></td><td><p>743</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)</p></td><td><p>80</p></td><td><p>103</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Reserve Battalions</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (incl. band)</p></td><td><p>340</p></td><td><p>468</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (incl. band)</p></td><td><p>400</p></td><td><p>468</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> <strong>Notes/Caveats: </strong></strong></p><p> </p><p>Strength figures have been provided by Defence Statistics, whilst Workforce Requirement is a single service estimate.</p><p> </p><p>Regular battalions will include some Trained Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) (Full Commitment).</p><p> </p><p>Reserve battalions will include Trained FTRS (Home Commitment), FTRS (Full Commitment), Trained Volunteer Reservists and some Regular personnel.</p><p> </p><p>The Highland and Lowland bands are included with the Reserve battalions.</p><p><br>Strength figures have been rounded to the nearest 10; numbers ending in &quot;5&quot; have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 02/08/2019 12:15:05 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	627 label Biography information for Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

1141908

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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 by how much (1) the Royal Navy, (2) the army, and (3) the Royal Air Force, are under strength.
tabling member printed	Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
uin	HL17452
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>The current strength of the Armed Forces as at 1 April 2019 is give<ins class="ministerial">n</ins> in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Service</p></td><td><p>Trained Strength</p></td><td><p>Workforce Requirement</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Navy/Royal Marines</p></td><td><p>29,224</p></td><td><p>30,568</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Army</p></td><td><p>75,070</p></td><td><p>82,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Air Force</p></td><td><p>30,010</p></td><td><p>31,756</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Trained Strength comprises military personnel who have completed Phase 1 and 2 training for Royal Navy/Royal Marines, the Army (prior to 1 October 2016) and the Royal Air Force. Following the change in definition of trained strength for Army, from 1 October 2016, trained strength for the Army comprises of personnel who have completed Phase 1 training.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence remains committed to maintaining the overall size of the Armed Forces and we have a range of measures under way to improve recruitment and retention. The challenge is kept under constant review.</p><p>Importantly the Services continue to meet all their current commitments, keeping the country and its interests safe.</p><p> </p><p>The strength of the Armed Forces is published every three months and can be found in the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link:</p><p> </p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 02/08/2019 13:21:39 question first ministerially corrected 20/08/2019 11:14:54 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie previous answer version 132042 answering member printed Baroness Goldie answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	627 label Biography information for Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

1141909

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Recruitment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) Royal Navy, (2) army, and (3) Royal Air Force, recruits there were in each of the last five years for which records are available.
tabling member printed	Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
uin	HL17453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>The number of recruits joining the Armed Forces in the last five years is given in the table below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>12 Months Ending</strong></td><td><strong>31 March 2015</strong></td><td><strong>31 March 2016</strong></td><td><strong>31 March 2017</strong></td><td><strong>31 March 2018</strong></td><td><strong>31 March 2019</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Tri-Service</td><td>12,980</td><td>13,796</td><td>13,383</td><td>12,359</td><td>12,485</td></tr><tr><td>Royal Navy/Royal Marines</td><td>2,933</td><td>2,997</td><td>3,045</td><td>3,042</td><td>3,143</td></tr><tr><td>Army</td><td>8,165</td><td>8,600</td><td>8,294</td><td>7,217</td><td>6,985</td></tr><tr><td>Royal Air Force</td><td>1,882</td><td>2,199</td><td>2,044</td><td>2,100</td><td>2,357</td></tr></tbody></table><p>UK Regular Forces includes trained and untrained UK Regulars, excludes Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Engaged Personnel, Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full Time Reserve Service.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Armed Forces recruitment figures are published in the Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link:</p><p> </p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 02/08/2019 13:36:38 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	627 label Biography information for Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

1141910

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Democratic Republic of Congo: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are offering the government of Burundi in hosting Congolese refugees being displaced through the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL17454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>The Department for International Development’s (DFID) humanitarian programme in Burundi is addressing food insecurity and malnutrition, providing support to internally displaced people and to returning refugees and their host communities. It does not provide support to Congolese refugees. We continue to monitor the overall humanitarian situation in Burundi, including that of Congolese refugees, given ongoing risks in the country.</p><p> </p><p>The UK also remains committed to reducing poverty and instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – a key driver for migration to neighbouring countries. The UK is funding stabilisation activities in Eastern DRC to address the underlying drivers of conflict, and we remain at the forefront of the humanitarian response in the DRC.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 05/08/2019 15:53:53 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1141912

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Migrants
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 23 July (HL Deb, cols 668–70), what plans they have to review access to free school meals for children who are affected by having no recourse to public funds.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL17456
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2019 answer text <p>As per the response provided by my noble Friend, Baroness Williams of Trafford, during the debate on 23 July, decisions around recourse to public funds are made by the Home Office.</p><p> </p><p>Free school meals are available to disadvantaged families in receipt of certain qualifying benefits, including children of immigrants and refugees who are receiving support under Part VI of the Immigration &amp; Asylum Act (1999).</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office is able to exercise discretion to grant recourse to public funds where the family would otherwise be destitute. Where this entitles the family to receive certain benefits, they may also be able to claim free school meals.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 30/07/2019 15:28:28 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1141913

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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 whether they have any plans to collate data on apprenticeship levy payments and spending by sector; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Foster of Bath
uin	HL17457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2019 answer text <p>The apprenticeship levy is collected by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from employers with a pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. HMRC publishes monthly data on apprenticeship levy receipts which can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk</a>. The most recent update was published on 19 July 2019. This update has been attached and can be found at the following link: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/817746/Jun19_Receipts_NS_Bulletin_Final.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/817746/Jun19_Receipts_NS_Bulletin_Final.pdf</a>.</p><p>HMRC will continue to review the appropriate data to put into the public domain regarding the apprenticeship levy.</p><p> </p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not currently require levy-paying employers to register a sector when they set up an online apprenticeship service account to manage their funds. As we develop the apprenticeship service, we will continue to review the data we collect to improve user experience and outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>We already publish detailed data on apprenticeship starts, including levy-supported starts, and our engagement with employers and sector bodies to develop our understanding of how apprenticeships work for different sectors. The most recent update was published on 11 July 2019. All quarterly data releases include a main commentary which summarises apprenticeship starts by level, framework or standard, and whether or not they were levy-supported. This commentary has been attached and is available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/815291/Apprenticeships_and_Traineeships_release_July19_main_text.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/815291/Apprenticeships_and_Traineeships_release_July19_main_text.pdf</a>. The whole quarterly release is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-july-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-july-2019</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL17457_HMRC_tax_and_NIC_receipts.pdf title HL17457_June_Tax_Receipts 2 file name HL17457_Apprenticeships_and_Traineeships_Quarterly_Data_Commentary.pdf title HL17457_Commentary question first answered 30/07/2019 15:45:48 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	214 label Biography information for Lord Foster of Bath

1141917

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Data Protection
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 Ashton of Hyde on 19 July (HL17042), who will be responsible for monitoring the adequacy of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) after Brexit; and whether they have adequate powers and sufficient funding in place to enforce the use of SCCs where data transfers between the UK and non-EEA countries are concerned.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL17461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2019 answer text <p>When the UK leaves the EU, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) will maintain its responsibility for enforcing compliance with data protection legislation, including monitoring the use of Standard Contractual Clauses.</p><p> </p><p>In February 2019 Parliament passed a Statutory Instrument (SI) setting out the criteria and process for creating and amending Standard Contractual Clauses either by the Secretary of State or by the Information Commissioner in conjunction with the Secretary of State. These provisions include a duty on both Secretary of State and the Information Commissioner to keep existing Standard Contractual Clauses under review.</p><p> </p><p>The government remains committed to ensuring that the ICO is a world class regulator and has the resources and enforcement tools it needs to safeguard the rights of individuals while allowing organisations to process personal data.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 02/08/2019 12:14:35 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1141918

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Research: Finance
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 Henley on 23 July (HL17211), which government department will take the lead in developing the Roadmap referenced following the Spending Review.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL17462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/08/2019 answer text <p>Government alone cannot deliver the 2.4% target. The Department is working with UKRI and other key partners to develop a roadmap that sets out how government and industry will work together to achieve this ambition.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Duncan of Springbank question first answered 01/08/2019 13:24:25 answering member 4686 label Biography information for Lord Duncan of Springbank
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1141922

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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 what assessment they have made of (1) the National School Breakfast Programme feeding an estimated 280,000 children, (2) the number of pupils receiving Free School Meals, (3) the incidence of food banks, food pantries and similar help in kind, throughout England and Wales; and what consideration they are giving, as a result of any such assessment, to reviewing their policies to address destitution, food and fuel poverty and ensure sufficient services to prevent poverty.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL17466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/08/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling poverty in all its forms by building a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. A child growing up in a home where all adults are working is around 5 times less likely to be in poverty than a child in a household where nobody works. Since 2010, there are around 1 million fewer workless households and 667,000 fewer children in such households.</p><p>To help make sure every child gets the best start in life, the Department for Education is investing up to £26 million in a programme to establish or improve breakfast clubs in over 1,700 schools, targeting most disadvantaged areas. The programme’s effectiveness will be reviewed once it concludes next year. Additionally, over 1.2 million of the most disadvantaged children receive a free school meal.</p><p>The Government has not made an assessment of the incidence of food banks or similar charity-based provision in England and Wales. However, new questions have been added to the Family Resources Survey to develop a food insecurity measure from 2021 to help better understand the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk.</p><p>This Government spend more on family benefits than any other country in the G7, at 3.5% of GDP (OECD, 2015 data), demonstrating a commitment to providing a strong safety net for those that need it.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 05/08/2019 15:49:45 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton