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1651475

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: China
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 BBC Panorama programme ‘Is China watching you?’, broadcast on 26 June; and what plans they have, if any, to bring forward further amendments to the Procurement Bill to address the dangers to national security and privacy identified in the Panorama documentary.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL9188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government introduced new measures ahead of the Commons Report stage to strengthen the Procurement Bill's provisions on national security.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government will create a permanent National Security Unit for Procurement within the Cabinet Office which will play a vital role in minimising the risk of suppliers that pose a threat to national security, winning public contracts. Underpinning the Unit will be a new legislative duty on ministers to keep under review suppliers for investigation for potential debarment on national security grounds. The Government will also introduce new, mandatory debarments for specific types of contracts. The new clauses will enable Ministers to mandate that a supplier is excluded from specific types of contracts (for goods, works or services) where the supplier poses an unacceptable risk.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We will lay before Parliament, within six months of Royal Assent, a timeline for the removal of any surveillance equipment provided by suppliers subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites. We will explicitly commit to remove the equipment from sites where the risk is most acute and ensure the Government can be held to account on its promises.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Taken together, these measures ensure both that current equipment will be removed and that there will be stringent security mechanisms applying to any future contracts.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 24/07/2023 15:51:53 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1651476

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: Biometrics
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will respond to the letter from Professor Fraser Sampson, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, to the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, concerning the ethical and security issues raised by surveillance camera technology.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL9189
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Cabinet Office has been working closely with government departments to implement the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022. I can confirm that departments have ceased the deployment of visual surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China onto sensitive sites.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The statement also asked departments to consider whether they should remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades. As the Parliamentary Secretary confirmed in the other place, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the national intelligence law of China from such sites within six months of the Procurement Bill receiving Royal Assent. The Cabinet Office has been working closely with Departments on this and I can confirm that good progress has already been made.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding the Government estate, including any lists of sensitive sites and their locations, are withheld on security grounds. Security teams within government departments are responsible for identifying which of their locations are defined as sensitive against a common set of criteria.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Since the Written Ministerial Statement, we have also been working at pace to prepare for the implementation of the Procurement Bill, when it finishes its Parliamentary steps. Our efforts have focused on the setting up of the new National Security Unit for Procurement, which will administer the new national security debarment and exclusion powers that the Bill will provide.</p><p><strong><br></strong>The measures we have already taken on surveillance technology demonstrate that we will always put national security first and we will continue to keep risks such as this under close review. We will respond to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s letter on public space surveillance in due course. The Cabinet Office continues to monitor Government policy in this area, and is currently engaging with the Commissioner on this topic.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL9190 HL9191 HL9192 HL9193 question first answered 24/07/2023 15:48:21 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1651477

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: Biometrics
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the call from Professor Fraser Sampson, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, for a review of public space surveillance.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL9190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Cabinet Office has been working closely with government departments to implement the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022. I can confirm that departments have ceased the deployment of visual surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China onto sensitive sites.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The statement also asked departments to consider whether they should remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades. As the Parliamentary Secretary confirmed in the other place, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the national intelligence law of China from such sites within six months of the Procurement Bill receiving Royal Assent. The Cabinet Office has been working closely with Departments on this and I can confirm that good progress has already been made.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding the Government estate, including any lists of sensitive sites and their locations, are withheld on security grounds. Security teams within government departments are responsible for identifying which of their locations are defined as sensitive against a common set of criteria.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Since the Written Ministerial Statement, we have also been working at pace to prepare for the implementation of the Procurement Bill, when it finishes its Parliamentary steps. Our efforts have focused on the setting up of the new National Security Unit for Procurement, which will administer the new national security debarment and exclusion powers that the Bill will provide.</p><p><strong><br></strong>The measures we have already taken on surveillance technology demonstrate that we will always put national security first and we will continue to keep risks such as this under close review. We will respond to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s letter on public space surveillance in due course. The Cabinet Office continues to monitor Government policy in this area, and is currently engaging with the Commissioner on this topic.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL9189 HL9191 HL9192 HL9193 question first answered 24/07/2023 15:48:20 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1651478

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: China
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022 (HCWS386), how they plan to implement the cessation of the deployment of visual surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China onto sensitive sites.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL9191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Cabinet Office has been working closely with government departments to implement the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022. I can confirm that departments have ceased the deployment of visual surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China onto sensitive sites.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The statement also asked departments to consider whether they should remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades. As the Parliamentary Secretary confirmed in the other place, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the national intelligence law of China from such sites within six months of the Procurement Bill receiving Royal Assent. The Cabinet Office has been working closely with Departments on this and I can confirm that good progress has already been made.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding the Government estate, including any lists of sensitive sites and their locations, are withheld on security grounds. Security teams within government departments are responsible for identifying which of their locations are defined as sensitive against a common set of criteria.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Since the Written Ministerial Statement, we have also been working at pace to prepare for the implementation of the Procurement Bill, when it finishes its Parliamentary steps. Our efforts have focused on the setting up of the new National Security Unit for Procurement, which will administer the new national security debarment and exclusion powers that the Bill will provide.</p><p><strong><br></strong>The measures we have already taken on surveillance technology demonstrate that we will always put national security first and we will continue to keep risks such as this under close review. We will respond to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s letter on public space surveillance in due course. The Cabinet Office continues to monitor Government policy in this area, and is currently engaging with the Commissioner on this topic.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL9189 HL9190 HL9192 HL9193 question first answered 24/07/2023 15:48:21 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1651479

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: Biometrics
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the conclusion of Professor Fraser Sampson that "the need for a review [of surveillance cameras] is supported by the evidenced risks”, and (2) whether the Paymaster General will respond positively to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s request for a meeting; and whether such a meeting can be held before the Procurement Bill is given further consideration in the House of Lords.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL9192
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Cabinet Office has been working closely with government departments to implement the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022. I can confirm that departments have ceased the deployment of visual surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China onto sensitive sites.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The statement also asked departments to consider whether they should remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades. As the Parliamentary Secretary confirmed in the other place, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the national intelligence law of China from such sites within six months of the Procurement Bill receiving Royal Assent. The Cabinet Office has been working closely with Departments on this and I can confirm that good progress has already been made.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding the Government estate, including any lists of sensitive sites and their locations, are withheld on security grounds. Security teams within government departments are responsible for identifying which of their locations are defined as sensitive against a common set of criteria.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Since the Written Ministerial Statement, we have also been working at pace to prepare for the implementation of the Procurement Bill, when it finishes its Parliamentary steps. Our efforts have focused on the setting up of the new National Security Unit for Procurement, which will administer the new national security debarment and exclusion powers that the Bill will provide.</p><p><strong><br></strong>The measures we have already taken on surveillance technology demonstrate that we will always put national security first and we will continue to keep risks such as this under close review. We will respond to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s letter on public space surveillance in due course. The Cabinet Office continues to monitor Government policy in this area, and is currently engaging with the Commissioner on this topic.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL9189 HL9190 HL9191 HL9193 question first answered 24/07/2023 15:48:21 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1651480

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Surveillance: China
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government which locations they believe to be 'sensitive sites' where surveillance cameras with links to the People’s Republic of China should not be located; how many such sites exist; and how many cameras are involved.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL9193
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Cabinet Office has been working closely with government departments to implement the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022. I can confirm that departments have ceased the deployment of visual surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China onto sensitive sites.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The statement also asked departments to consider whether they should remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades. As the Parliamentary Secretary confirmed in the other place, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the national intelligence law of China from such sites within six months of the Procurement Bill receiving Royal Assent. The Cabinet Office has been working closely with Departments on this and I can confirm that good progress has already been made.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding the Government estate, including any lists of sensitive sites and their locations, are withheld on security grounds. Security teams within government departments are responsible for identifying which of their locations are defined as sensitive against a common set of criteria.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Since the Written Ministerial Statement, we have also been working at pace to prepare for the implementation of the Procurement Bill, when it finishes its Parliamentary steps. Our efforts have focused on the setting up of the new National Security Unit for Procurement, which will administer the new national security debarment and exclusion powers that the Bill will provide.</p><p><strong><br></strong>The measures we have already taken on surveillance technology demonstrate that we will always put national security first and we will continue to keep risks such as this under close review. We will respond to the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s letter on public space surveillance in due course. The Cabinet Office continues to monitor Government policy in this area, and is currently engaging with the Commissioner on this topic.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe grouped question UIN HL9189 HL9190 HL9191 HL9192 question first answered 24/07/2023 15:48:21 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1651481

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways: Ticket Offices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Greater Anglia Railways about planned ticket office closures at Cambridge railway station; and what opportunities there are for (1) the public, and (2) parliamentarians, to express their views on the proposals.
tabling member printed	Lord Balfe
uin	HL9194
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p>To propose any changes to the opening hours, or the closure of ticket offices, train operating companies must follow the process set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement.</p><p> </p><p>Train operators must consult on any proposed changes, advertising them at the relevant stations and inviting members of the public who wish to comment on the proposal to write to the relevant passenger body (either Transport Focus or London TravelWatch) within a 21-day period. Greater Anglia Railways has set out its proposals on its website.</p><p> </p><p>Parliamentarians are encouraged to raise any concerns with the relevant Passenger Bodies through the established consultation process. Further detail of how to do this can be found on station posters or on the Train Operating Company websites.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 24/07/2023 10:51:07 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	4302 label Biography information for Lord Balfe

1651482

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
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	Developing Countries: Veterinary Medicine
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether, and if so to what extent, they provide direct financial support for the development of veterinary clinical skill laboratories in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen animal health systems.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9195
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2023 answer text <p>While we do not provide direct financial support for the development of veterinary clinical skill laboratories in low- and middle-income countries, we proactively support country and regional partners with Official Development Assistance funding to strengthen health systems, including through our £5m Animal Health Systems Strengthening Project, which is providing technical assistance and other capability-building to veterinary services in Africa.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, and to ensure the UK effectively drives better and sustainable health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, our world-class laboratories are actively involved in delivering global health outreach programmes, including laboratory twinning projects to build diagnostic capability for the surveillance and detection of animal diseases.</p><p> </p><p>We have also developed and delivered e-learning modules for over 200 veterinary professionals and paraprofessionals working in low- and middle-income countries to build skills in laboratory diagnostics, surveillance strategies, pandemic preparedness training, epidemiology, and veterinary medicine residue surveillance.</p><p> </p><p>All UK Aid spend is published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as Statistics on International Development, and is available at GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 13/07/2023 16:31:58 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1651483

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
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	Poultry: Antibiotics
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics for prophylactic and metaphylactic use in British poultry farming, with a view to limiting antimicrobial resistance.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals, while safeguarding animal welfare. It has been our position for many years that we do not support the routine or predictable use of antibiotics, including where antibiotics are used to compensate for inadequate farming practices. This applies to all types of antibiotic use (i.e those prescribed for treatment, metaphylactic purposes and for prophylactic purposes) because any antibiotic use may lead to an increased risk of resistance.</p><p> </p><p>The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 are currently under review and the UK Government’s proposed new legal restrictions will prohibit antibiotic prophylaxis, in all but exceptional circumstances, in order to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use while also protecting animal welfare, and allowing changes to prescribing practices to be made sustainably. A public consultation on the proposed changes was held earlier this year, feedback is currently being analysed and considered, and a government response will be published in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotics for human use (which include fluoroquinolones) should only be used in animals as a last resort when no other antibiotics could be clinically effective and, wherever possible, based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing.</p><p> </p><p>The Veterinary Medicines Directorate works closely with the British Poultry Council (BPC), an industry group which represents 90% of the meat poultry sector in the UK, on its antimicrobial stewardship efforts to replace, reduce and refine antibiotic use, by supporting good animal husbandry, hygiene and stockmanship. The BPC has a requirement that fluoroquinolones are only used as a last resort after alternative options have been explored. These actions have led to a 96% reduction in fluroquinolone use in meat poultry between 2014 and 2021, with fluoroquinolones representing just 0.3% of total antibiotic use in 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, when considering laying hens, antibiotic use data collected by the British Egg Industry Council, and representing 90% of the industry, has demonstrated no fluoroquinolone use since 2017.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 14/07/2023 12:13:32 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1651484

registered interest
date	10/07/2023
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
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 performance of Royal Mail against its universal service obligation; and what discussions they have had with Royal Mail about the effect of the current number of vacant posts in that organisation on its ability to fulfil that obligation.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL9197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2023 answer text <p>It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s performance of its universal service obligations. In May, Ofcom announced it had opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet its delivery targets for 2022/23. This will consider whether the reasons for its failure were within the company’s control or if there were exceptional factors to explain why it missed its targets. Ministers and officials meet Royal Mail in its capacity as the universal service provider however, as it is a private business, operational decisions, including staffing levels, are the direct responsibility of Royal Mail management.</p> answering member printed The Earl of Minto question first answered 24/07/2023 16:32:29 answering member 4952 label Biography information for The Earl of Minto
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle