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1227971

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
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 impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the availability of childcare provision; and what steps they propose to take to mitigate that impact on service providers and those dependent on such provision.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL7320
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/08/2020 answer text <p>In order to control the spread of COVID-19, early years settings were asked to only open for children of critical workers and vulnerable children from 20 March. An Ipsos MORI survey showed that three-quarters of critical workers with young children could access childcare during the coronavirus lockdown. The survey is available at:<br> <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/parents-0-4-year-olds-and-childcare-1st-june-2020" target="_blank">https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/parents-0-4-year-olds-and-childcare-1st-june-2020</a>.</p><p>To ensure provision was available for all who needed it, local authorities have been able to redistribute free early years entitlement funding in exceptional cases to ensure childcare places are available for vulnerable and critical worker children.</p><p>Early years providers have been able to open to all children from 1 June. The latest attendance data shows that on 30 July, an estimated 285,000 children were attending an early years setting. The latest data, published on 4 August, is available at:<br><a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/2020-week-31" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/2020-week-31</a>.</p><p>Since 20 July, early years settings have been able to return to their normal group sizes, paving the way for more children to transition back to their early education and supporting parents to return to work.</p><p>On 20 July, we announced our commitment to continue paying local authorities for the childcare places they usually fund throughout the autumn term. This means that even if providers are open but caring for fewer children, they can continue to be funded as if the COVID-19 outbreak were not happening.</p><p>Local authorities should also continue to fund providers which have been advised to close, or left with no option but to close, for public health reasons. That gives another term of secure income to nurseries and childminders who are open for the children who need them. Until the start of the 2020 autumn term, it remains the case that free early years entitlement funding can be used differently and redistributed in exceptional cases to ensure childcare places are available for vulnerable and critical worker children.</p><p>The childcare sector has also been able to access a wider package of government support in the form of a business rates holiday, business interruption loans and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Full details of the support available is available at:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures#funding" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures#funding</a>.</p><p>For school-aged children, holiday clubs and other out-of-school settings have been able to open since 4 July, helping parents to meet their childcare needs during the school summer holidays.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 13/08/2020 15:23:24 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

1227972

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	High Speed 2 Line: Wendover
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a full and independent engineering review has been carried out to assess the (1) construction, and (2) whole life costs, of the (a) Wendover Short Mined Tunnel proposal, and (b) current HS2 Phase One above surface route proposals at Wendover.
tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
uin	HL7326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2020 answer text <p>I refer to my answer to Lord Berkeley’s question on 30 June. In spring 2018, the Department instructed KPMG to undertake an independent review of the presented options for the Wendover area, both from HS2 Ltd (surface route) and from mbpc Ltd (mined tunnel proposal). The Department asked the review to examine and consider both options, including a comparative assessment of their relative cost, schedule and constructability. The review did not consider whole life costs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 31/07/2020 11:59:23 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

1227973

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Speed Limits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any consultation took place with (1) the Health and Safety Executive, and (2) the Office for Rail and Road, before the decision was made to increase the basic speed limit at which motorists can drive through roadworks; and what assessment they have made of the ability to enforce speed limits at such sites.
tabling member printed	Lord Bradshaw
uin	HL7327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2020 answer text <p>Whilst no specific consultation took place with the Health and Safety Executive, Highways England did engage throughout the trials with the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) to update them on the progress and outputs of the trials.</p><p> </p><p>The enforcement of speed limits will be undertaken in the same way any speed limit through roadworks is enforced, by using average speed camera systems.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 31/07/2020 11:58:47 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	2483 label Biography information for Lord Bradshaw

1227974

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	DNA: Databases
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many DNA profiles of individuals not convicted of any crime have been added to the National DNA Database since 2015.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL7328
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/08/2020 answer text <p>The National DNA Database system does not maintain the conviction (or otherwise) status for retained DNA profiles of individuals.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 11/08/2020 11:23:23 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1227975

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Money Laundering
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current steps being taken to tackle money laundering in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL7329
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/08/2020 answer text <p>We have consistently reinforced our ability to crack down on money laundering in the UK and with our operational partners, we continue to bring the full capabilities of law enforcement to bear against serious criminals, corrupt elites, and their assets.</p><p>In July 2019 we published an ambitious public-private Economic Crime Plan and Asset Recovery Action Plan, for the first time bringing together government, law enforcement and the private sector to deliver a collective response to the threat from economic crime. We are making good progress, in particular on enabling better information sharing to combat economic crime, reforming the Suspicious Activity Reports system and implementing the 5<sup>th</sup> Money Laundering Directive to bear down on money laundering.</p><p>The Financial Action Task Force completed a landmark review of the UK’s regime for tackling money laundering and terrorist financing in December 2018, concluding that we have some of the strongest controls in the world.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 11/08/2020 11:09:48 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1227976

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Veterans
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many armed forces veterans are currently serving a custodial sentence.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL7330
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/08/2020 answer text <p>Since January 2015, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has actively been recording service in the Armed Forces as part of the screening process for newly received prisoners into custody.</p><p>A breakdown of experimental statistics published in October 2019 indicates that as of 30 June 2019, there were 1,833 prisoners serving a custodial sentence in England and Wales that have declared they have been a member of the armed services.</p><p>The department is due to release the next estimate of the total number of ex-armed services in October 2020 which will include data as of 30 June 2020.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice remains committed to encouraging people in the criminal justice system to declare service in the Armed Forces, as early as possible or at any point whist serving their sentence. This enables them to access the support available, whether that is in custody or the community.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 06/08/2020 14:13:57 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1227977

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Veterans: Charities
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the merits of sharing details of service personnel leaving the armed forces with veterans' charities.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL7331
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/08/2020 answer text <p>Every year around 15,000 Service personnel leave the Armed Forces, with the vast majority making a successful transition back into civilian life without any requirement for additional support, including from Service charities. The Government has no plans to share details of these leavers with the charity sector, given the lack of clear purpose and legal basis for doing so, and recognising the administrative burden it would place on both the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and charities.</p><p>However, for those Service leavers and veterans who do require support, the MOD’s Veterans’ Welfare Service and Defence Transition Services have a strong collaborative relationship with charities. We regularly work together to share information, when it is appropriate to do so and consent has been given, on behalf of those veterans who do require support.</p><p>We are committed to ensuring that it is as easy as possible for veterans and their families to access the right support. We are continually exploring ways to enhance and improve collaboration with the third sector and other partners in the interests of veterans.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 06/08/2020 11:06:48 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1227978

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Crimes of Violence
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adjudications related to incidences of violence against prison staff there were in each year since 2014; and how many of those incidences resulted in additional days being added to a prisoner's sentence.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL7332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/08/2020 answer text <p>The prisoner discipline system upholds justice in prisons and ensures incidents of prison rule-breaking have consequences. Only Independent Adjudicators, who are District Judges or Deputy District Judges, can make an award of additional days to a prisoner’s custodial time left to serve.</p><p>Where an act of violence amounts to a criminal offence, prisoners should be investigated by the police and face serious sanctions. The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 has increased sentencing powers for offences of common assault and battery committed against an emergency worker. This provides Courts with the powers to punish those who commit violent crime against prison staff.</p><p>The information requested can be found in the table attached.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 06/08/2020 14:16:21 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie attachment 1 file name Data for PQ HL7332-FOR PUBLICATION.XLSX title Excel Spreadsheet
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1227979

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many prison staff have been tested for COVID-19; and (2) how many prisoners in all prisons have been tested for COVID-19.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL7333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/08/2020 answer text <p>A testing programme is being conducted to help understand the spread of Coronavirus in prisons and how it is transmitted within individual establishments and across the wider estate began on Monday 20 July.</p><p><br>The testing study is taking place across 28 prisons in England and is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Southampton, Public Health England, Department of Health and Social Care and National Audit Office.</p><p><br>Every one of the 20,000 prisoners and 10,000 staff at the 28 sites will be invited to carry out an antigen test, consisting of mouth and nose swabs, to see if they currently have the virus. Participation is completely voluntary but we encourage as many as possible to carry out the test. The test will be repeated two more times with a gap of three weeks between each test.</p><p><br>This testing study follows a pilot of voluntary testing of both staff and prisoners at HMP Littlehey. This consisted of over 1,000 tests being undertaken and pleasingly no positive results were found.</p><p><br>This testing study runs for 9 to 12 weeks to allow all three testing rounds to be completed.</p><p><br>Currently, the establishments which have started undertaking this COVID-19 prevalence Testing Programme are: Bure, Coldingley, Drake Hall, Frankland, Gartree, High Down, Leeds, Lewes, New Hall, Norwich, Send, The Mount, Wandsworth and Wealstun.</p><p><br>As of 5pm 30th July 2020, there have been 2542 prisoner tests with four positive results. There have been 1571 staff tests with three positive results.</p><p>With HMPPS staff being able to self-refer for testing the complete number of staff who have been tested for COVID-19 is unknown by HMPPS. While the total number of tests carried out on prisoners since testing began is also unknown, the Ministry of Justice has started publishing a weekly release of Covid-19 related statistics, which includes confirmed COVID-19 cases in prisoners and children in custody. These statistics provide total numbers across England and Wales.</p><p>The statistics release can be found here each Friday: <br>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-and-probation-service-covid-19-statistics</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 06/08/2020 14:41:26 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1227980

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Development Aid: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, if any, of the reduction in the annual UK aid budget as a result of the reduction in the UK Gross National Income due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
tabling member printed	Lord Chidgey
uin	HL7334
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2020 answer text <p>Given the likely decrease in the size of the economy this year, and therefore a decrease in the value of the 0.7% commitment, a package of £2.9bn of reductions in the Government’s planned ODA spend has been agreed. This package includes underspends, delaying activity and stopping some spend. The package will see some reductions made now, with arrangements in place to tailor spending further during the remaining months as we start to gain a clearer economic picture. As normal, there will continue to be adjustments in-year to individual departmental ODA spend to meet the 0.7% commitment.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 03/08/2020 11:48:56 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	50 label Biography information for Lord Chidgey