Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1049329

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Public Sector Debt: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What plans her Department has to enable Northern Ireland to reduce its public sector fiscal deficit.
tabling member constituency	Gainsborough
tabling member printed	Sir Edward Leigh
uin	908812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2019 answer text <p>Thanks to the UK Government’s responsible stewardship of the economy the country’s public finances are in a much stronger position since 2010. This means we have more money to invest in Northern Ireland’s future – including £320 million funding for Northern Ireland announced by the Chancellor in Budget.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Northern Ireland departments to ensure sustainable finances in Northern Ireland and to help rebalance the Northern Ireland economy. This work is paying off, with private sector jobs growing from 63% in 1992 to 73% in 2018, and are now at an all-time high.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley question first answered 30/01/2019 16:26:26 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	345 label Biography information for Sir Edward Leigh

1049551

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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	North Korea: British Council
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the British Council on restarting its English language teaching programme in North Korea; and whether they intend to provide funding to restart that programme.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The British Council English Language Training Programme was suspended in August 2017 when the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) changed its Travel Advice for North Korea to advise against all but essential travel. Over its lifetime the programme provided training to hundreds of teachers and tuition to 4,500 students, exposing North Korean teachers and students to alternative views of the outside world. There have been no substantive discussions between the FCO and British Council on restarting the programme.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/02/2019 15:35:41 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1049552

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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	Amoon and Qaisar Ayub
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed the case of Qaisar and Amoon Ayub with (1) the government of Thailand, and (2) the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; if so, when any such discussions took place; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13142
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The UK encourages all states to honour in full their international human rights obligations. We routinely raise concerns about freedom of religion or belief and the treatment of minority religious communities with our international partners.</p><p>We have raised our concerns with the Government of Thailand over the detention of foreign nationals seeking refugee status, including nationals of Pakistan. I discussed our concerns in a telephone call with the Thai Ambassador on 2 November 2018. We have repeatedly urged Thailand to sign the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, and closely followed the detention of approximately 100 people, mainly from Pakistan, in October 2018. We believe these actions are not aimed at any specific group or groups, but apply to anyone whom they deem an illegal visa over-stayer. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees are working closely with the Royal Thai Government over asylum and resettlement issues.</p><p> </p><p>​</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/02/2019 15:39:35 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1049554

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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	Pervaiz Masih
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 case of Pervais Masih, accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, the treatment of his family and the death of his daughter; and whether they have discussed this case with the government of Pakistan.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13143
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>We are concerned by the distressing reports surrounding the case of Pervaiz Masih, accused of blasphemy in Pakistan and the treatment of his family and death of his daughter.</p><p>We remain deeply concerned by the misuse of the blasphemy laws and the treatment of minority religious communities in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns about the misuse of the blasphemy laws and the protection of minority communities with the government of Pakistan at a senior level. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister in September 2018. At the UN Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan in November 2017, the UK pressed Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities and to explain the steps being taken to tackle the abuse of the blasphemy laws.</p><p>To ensure the United Kingdom is supporting Christians in the best possible way, the Foreign Secretary has commissioned an independent, global review into the additional practical steps the government can take to support persecuted Christians. The Review will be led by the Bishop of Truro, Rt Revd. Philip Mounstephen, and will make an initial report around Easter.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/02/2019 15:50:27 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1049555

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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	Philippines: Bombings
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 bombing of the Jolo Catholic Cathedral in the Philippines; who they believe was responsible; and what assistance they have offered to the government of the Philippines.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13144
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>The British Government completely condemns the appalling bomb attacks on the Catholic Cathedral on the island of Jolo in the Philippines on Sunday 27 January. Our prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones. The UK stands with the Philippines against terror and hatred.</p><p>Churches and all places of religious worship are sites for peace and reflection. This horrific terrorist act goes against the very essence of this.</p><p>The Islamic State (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attack, however in a public statement during his visit to Jolo Island on 28 January President Duterte stated he believed Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was behind the attack.</p><p>The UK works with the Philippines on a range of bilateral priorities including on counter terrorism.</p><p>​</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/02/2019 15:51:00 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1049556

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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	Internet: Self-harm and Suicide
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they have taken, prior to the announcement on 27 January that they would consider banning websites promoting self-harm and suicide, to protect young people from harmful online content.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13145
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2019 answer text <p>Government is taking a range of measures to protect children and young people from harmful online content.</p><p>Through the Digital Economy Act 2017, the government is introducing a requirement for commercial providers of online pornography to have robust age verification controls in place to prevent children and young people under 18 from accessing pornographic material.</p><p> </p><p>In addition we have worked with Internet Service Providers to introduce a rigorous and comprehensive system of family-friendly content filtering, through which parents can help protect their children from viewing harmful content over home broadband networks.</p><p> </p><p>Through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety we have produced a practical guide for providers of social media and interactive services, in which we set out best practices for preventing children from encountering harmful content.</p><p>Furthermore, the Data Protection Act 2018 introduced a new requirement for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to produce a statutory code of practice on age-appropriate design. This code will ensure that websites and applications are designed in a way that makes clear what data is being collected on children, how this data is being used, and how both children and parents can stay in control of this data.</p><p>Nevertheless there is still more to do, which is why we will shortly be publishing an Online Harms White Paper, which will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how the Government will tackle the full range of online harms and set clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep UK citizens safe.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 11/02/2019 15:43:57 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1049557

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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	China: Uyghurs
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 account of Gulbahar Jelilova, a Muslim Uyghur woman, who was reportedly subject to degrading treatment at a re-education camp in China; and what assessment they have made of the accuracy of estimates cited by the United Nations that up to 1 million ethnic Muslim-minority Uyghurs may be held involuntarily in extralegal detention in Xinjiang.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL13146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of reports of the detention of Gulbahar Jelil (Jelilova) in Xinjiang.</p><p>We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over one million Uyghurs have been held in re-education camps, and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.</p><p>During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Xinjiang, and to allow the UN to monitor the implementation.</p><p>Mr Field raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during his visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 11/02/2019 14:25:37 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1049558

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unconditional offers have been made by universities to school and college leavers in each year since 2010; and in each of those years, what percentage of total offers were unconditional.
tabling member printed	Lord Bassam of Brighton
uin	HL13147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2019 answer text <p>Applicants to full-time undergraduate degrees apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS have published data on the number of unconditional offers and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional since 2010. The data covers offers made to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales.</p><p>The table shows the number of unconditional offers made and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional to 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of unconditional offers</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion of offers made that were unconditional</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>5,105</p></td><td><p>0.6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>3,355</p></td><td><p>0.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2,605</p></td><td><p>0.3%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>2,985</p></td><td><p>0.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>12,115</p></td><td><p>1.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>23,410</p></td><td><p>2.5%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>36,825</p></td><td><p>3.9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>51,615</p></td><td><p>5.3%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>67,915</p></td><td><p>7.1%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Source: UCAS End of Cycle reports 2017 and 2018:</p><p><a href="https://www.ucas.com/file/196151/download?token=jzRAy4kS" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/file/196151/download?token=jzRAy4kS</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.ucas.com/file/140406/download?token=pfzLAKRe" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/file/140406/download?token=pfzLAKRe</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><ol><li>UCAS defines an unconditional offer as a provider decision to grant a place to an applicant that is not subject to the applicant satisfying academic and/or other criteria.A conditional unconditional offer is an offer made by a provider which was originally conditional, but becomes unconditional if the applicant selects that offer as their firm (first) choice. By definition, conditional unconditional offers that are selected as a firm choice by the applicant become unconditional and are also included in the unconditional offers group.Offer with an unconditional component are defined as an offers showing as having an element of unconditional offer-making, that is, unconditional offers plus conditional unconditional offers that have not been selected as firm (and hence remain conditional unconditional).</li><li>Figures provided in the table are based on the offer status at the 30 June application deadline.</li><li>Data on conditional unconditional offers, and offers that had an unconditional component have not been included in the table due to data not being published prior to 2013.</li></ol><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information regarding which universities allocated places to applicants on an unconditional basis and for each of those universities, what percentage of total offers were unconditional in each of those years is not held centrally.</p><p>However, on 31 January UCAS published data on unconditional offers by each provider for the first time as part of their 2018 End of Cycle data releases. For each provider, UCAS have published data on the number and proportion of offers that were unconditional, conditional unconditional, and offers that had an unconditional component since 2013. Further information can be found at: <a href="https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports/2018-ucas-undergraduate-unconditional-offer-making-provider-reports" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports/2018-ucas-undergraduate-unconditional-offer-making-provider-reports</a> – then select ‘Individual 2018 provider level unconditional offer-making CSVs’.</p><p> </p><p>The government are concerned by the increase in unconditional offers, and have asked the higher education (HE) regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), to monitor and review how they are being used by HE providers. Where institutions cannot justify the rising numbers being offered we have made clear to the OfS that they should use the full range of powers at their disposal to take action.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL13148 question first answered 11/02/2019 14:01:28 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3504 label Biography information for Lord Bassam of Brighton

1049559

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Admissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which universities allocated places to applicants on an unconditional basis in each year since 2010; and for each of those universities, what percentage of total offers were unconditional in each of those years.
tabling member printed	Lord Bassam of Brighton
uin	HL13148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2019 answer text <p>Applicants to full-time undergraduate degrees apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS have published data on the number of unconditional offers and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional since 2010. The data covers offers made to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland and Wales.</p><p>The table shows the number of unconditional offers made and the proportion of offers made that were unconditional to 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of unconditional offers</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion of offers made that were unconditional</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>5,105</p></td><td><p>0.6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>3,355</p></td><td><p>0.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2,605</p></td><td><p>0.3%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>2,985</p></td><td><p>0.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>12,115</p></td><td><p>1.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>23,410</p></td><td><p>2.5%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>36,825</p></td><td><p>3.9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>51,615</p></td><td><p>5.3%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>67,915</p></td><td><p>7.1%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Source: UCAS End of Cycle reports 2017 and 2018:</p><p><a href="https://www.ucas.com/file/196151/download?token=jzRAy4kS" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/file/196151/download?token=jzRAy4kS</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.ucas.com/file/140406/download?token=pfzLAKRe" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/file/140406/download?token=pfzLAKRe</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><ol><li>UCAS defines an unconditional offer as a provider decision to grant a place to an applicant that is not subject to the applicant satisfying academic and/or other criteria.A conditional unconditional offer is an offer made by a provider which was originally conditional, but becomes unconditional if the applicant selects that offer as their firm (first) choice. By definition, conditional unconditional offers that are selected as a firm choice by the applicant become unconditional and are also included in the unconditional offers group.Offer with an unconditional component are defined as an offers showing as having an element of unconditional offer-making, that is, unconditional offers plus conditional unconditional offers that have not been selected as firm (and hence remain conditional unconditional).</li><li>Figures provided in the table are based on the offer status at the 30 June application deadline.</li><li>Data on conditional unconditional offers, and offers that had an unconditional component have not been included in the table due to data not being published prior to 2013.</li></ol><p> </p><p> </p><p>Information regarding which universities allocated places to applicants on an unconditional basis and for each of those universities, what percentage of total offers were unconditional in each of those years is not held centrally.</p><p>However, on 31 January UCAS published data on unconditional offers by each provider for the first time as part of their 2018 End of Cycle data releases. For each provider, UCAS have published data on the number and proportion of offers that were unconditional, conditional unconditional, and offers that had an unconditional component since 2013. Further information can be found at: <a href="https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports/2018-ucas-undergraduate-unconditional-offer-making-provider-reports" target="_blank">https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-reports/2018-ucas-undergraduate-unconditional-offer-making-provider-reports</a> – then select ‘Individual 2018 provider level unconditional offer-making CSVs’.</p><p> </p><p>The government are concerned by the increase in unconditional offers, and have asked the higher education (HE) regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), to monitor and review how they are being used by HE providers. Where institutions cannot justify the rising numbers being offered we have made clear to the OfS that they should use the full range of powers at their disposal to take action.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL13147 question first answered 11/02/2019 14:01:28 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3504 label Biography information for Lord Bassam of Brighton

1049561

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Magistrates' Courts: Closures
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of "reasonable access to alternative courts" in relation to the closure of magistrates' courts.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL13149
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2019 answer text <p>HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service considers several factors when assessing the impact of court closures on access to justice, as set out in our estates principles. These include careful consideration of journey times to alternative courts, the challenges of rural access and the needs of vulnerable users.</p><p> </p><p>The consultation ‘Fit for the future: transforming the court and tribunal estate’ published in January 2018 set out proposals to update our estates principles to take account of the modernisation of our courts and tribunals. We have carefully considered all responses to the consultation and we will publish our consultation response in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 11/02/2019 16:19:14 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham