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420480

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
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	Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether human rights remain a foreign policy priority.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2455
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2015 answer text <p>Human rights remain an integral part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's work. They are mainstreamed across our work and they are intrinsically linked with many aspects of our national interest, including the stability and prosperity of our international partners.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 22/10/2015 15:20:31 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

420481

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
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	Human Rights
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 proportion of their budget and personnel that is allocated to promoting human rights, the rule of law and democracy in other countries.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2456
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2015 answer text <p>As explained in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s 2014 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, it is not possible to disaggregate an exact figure for what we spend annually on human rights and democracy work. This is because it is mainstreamed across the network, and thus a component of a wide range of FCO activities. However, by combining relevant programme spend, grant-in-aid spending, and estimated personnel costs, we were able to calculate a conservative figure of approximately £42.6 million for the financial year 2014-15. This figure does not include the cross-departmental Conflict Pool Fund (now the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund).</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 22/10/2015 15:21:08 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

420482

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
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: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China and the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom on the human rights situation in China, with respect to the arrest and detention of lawyers and campaigners.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2015 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to my response of 24 July 2015 (HL1378). We remain concerned by reports of the detention of human rights lawyers since 9 July. We supported an EU press statement on the matter on 15 July, and since then have continued to express our concern. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), personally raised the matter during his visit to China in August. Most recently, in a written statement to the Human Rights Council on 21 September, the UK urged the Chinese authorities to release these lawyers and to uphold the right to the peaceful expression of views.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 26/10/2015 15:37:02 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

420483

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
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	Sudan: Armed Conflict
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will invite the UN Security Council to refer the targeting and bombing by the Sudanese Air Force of civilian and humanitarian targets in South Kordofan, including Médécins sans Frontières’s hospital in Frandala, field hospitals and standing medical structures, to the International Criminal Court.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2015 answer text <p>We have repeatedly raised our concerns at the UN Security Council over the reported bombing of hospitals in South Kordofan. Any decision to refer to the International Criminal Court must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means to bring those responsible to account. We will therefore continue to look at every available option to ensure accountability, and to work with our international partners on what can be done to both assist the victims and to bring those responsible to justice. We will also continue to urge the Government of Sudan to cooperate fully with the UN Independent Expert, whose mandate was renewed at the recent Human Rights Council in September and allows him to assess, verify and report on the human rights situation throughout Sudan.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/10/2015 15:32:41 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

420484

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
answering body	The Lord Chairman of Committees
answering dept id	200
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Chairman of Committees (HoL)
hansard heading	House of Lords: Catering
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Chairman of Committees what plans he has to end the subsidy for catering services in the House of Lords.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2459
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>Catering and Retail Services seek to provide an appropriate level of service to support an active and busy parliamentary chamber, and to provide excellent value to the taxpayer. The catering subsidy has been reduced by 32% since 2007 and we are working hard to reduce it further through an ambitious Change Programme.</p><p>The unpredictable nature of parliamentary business – in terms of sitting days, recesses, the length of each sitting, and the level of attendance at the House for each sitting – means that staffing costs and wastage are higher than would be the case in purely commercial catering outlets. This makes an operating loss extremely difficult to avoid.</p><p>Furthermore, catering facilities are used by a wide range of people, not just Members. Venues such as the River Restaurant and Millbank House cafeteria are mainly intended to provide facilities for staff and other users such as the Metropolitan Police, contractors and others working on the Parliamentary Estate. It is good practice for large employers to provide cafeteria facilities for staff, particularly for organisations that operate outside normal office hours as is the case in the House of Lords. We pay all catering staff at least the London Living Wage and provide them with workplace pensions. We are proud to do so but it means our costs are higher than some commercial restaurants.</p><p>Given these factors, some element of tax-payer funding is appropriate, but the Administration is vigilant to ensure that public money is stewarded responsibly. Catering and Retail Services are also exploring novel ways to generate income in quieter times, such as opening the Peers’ Dining Room to the public in longer recesses. This helps to reduce the overall cost of the refreshment service to the tax payer, and so the subsidy.</p> answering member printed Lord Laming question first answered 21/10/2015 15:32:12 answering member 2079 label Biography information for Lord Laming
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

420485

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to evaluate the ideas on dealing with corporate international tax avoidance developed by Professor Gabriel Zucman in his book <i>The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens</i>.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2015 answer text <p>The Government considers material from a range of sources as part of the normal policy making process. Professor Gabriel Zucman’s book points out that tax avoidance by large corporations can be stopped, and the UK is addressing this issue through the G20 and OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. We recognise that the global issue of tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning requires a coordinated approach to come up with effective solutions. This is why the UK is at the forefront of multilateral action through the BEPS project to ensure profits are taxed where economic activities are performed.</p><br /><p>The first phase of the BEPS project was delivered in 2014, and the UK was the first adopter of the 2014 recommendations, by legislating for the internationally agreed country-by-country reporting template; and consulting on implementing the OECD agreed rules to deal with hybrid mismatch arrangements.</p><br /><p>The final recommendations from the BEPS project were endorsed by the G20 Finance Ministers at their meeting in Lima on 8 October. The project represents major and unprecedented efforts involving over 60 countries to clamp down on aggressive tax planning.</p><br /><p>The Government is committed to countering tax avoidance to ensure all tax payers pay their fair share. The UK will give full consideration to the outputs of the BEPS project and we will engage with the OECD’s work on developing a framework for monitoring implementation.</p><br /> <br /> answering member printed Lord O'Neill of Gatley question first answered 26/10/2015 16:36:02 answering member 4536 label Biography information for Lord O'Neill of Gatley
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

420486

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	British Library: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of reductions in the funding they provide to the British Library, and whether they will publish the details of this assessment.
tabling member printed	Lord Avebury
uin	HL2461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2015 answer text <p>The Government is committed todelivering further savings to eliminate the deficit in public expenditure in order to secure Britain’s long term economic security. DCMS is working closely with all of its arm’s length bodies, including the British Library, as part of the current spending review to understand the impacts of public funding decisions. The outcome of this will be announced by the Chancellor on 25 November 2015.</p><br /> <br /> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/10/2015 15:31:18 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	1665 label Biography information for Lord Avebury

420487

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Rapid Transit Systems: Cambridgeshire
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they committed to funding the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway when the contract was originally awarded; and whether they have since been asked to fund any additional costs.
tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
uin	HL2462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Transport’s funding contribution to the Cambridgeshire Guided Bus was capped at a maximum of £92.5m when the scheme was approved in 2006. This amount has been paid in full to the scheme promoter, Cambridgeshire County Council. The Government has not been asked to provide any additional funding above this amount.</p><br /> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 21/10/2015 11:49:55 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

420488

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
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	Social Security Benefits: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy is in place to enable Jobcentre Plus officers to identify benefit fraud.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Derby
uin	HL2463
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2015 answer text <p>As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.</p><p>Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.</p><p>A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.</p><p>Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2464 HL2465 question first answered 15/10/2015 15:53:39 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4143 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Derby

420489

registered interest
date	12/10/2015
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	Social Security Benefits: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how Jobcentre Plus officers report suspected benefit fraud.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Derby
uin	HL2464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2015 answer text <p>As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.</p><p>Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.</p><p>A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.</p><p>Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL2463 HL2465 question first answered 15/10/2015 15:53:39 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4143 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Derby