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1233109

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
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 survey results published by Make UK in its report Manufacturing Monitor, published on 7 September, and in particular the 62 per cent of respondents who thought the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme should be extended for critical sectors; and what action they plan to take as a result.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL7950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government is aware of the intense disruption businesses in the manufacturing sector have faced due to the pandemic and has sympathy with all those affected.</p><p> </p><p>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was designed to be in place only as a temporary measure while businesses regrouped and responded to the crisis. It would be challenging to extend the CJRS for specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way and it would also be difficult to do so without creating distortion, particularly as some firms work across multiple sectors.</p><p> </p><p>The CJRS will remain open until the end of October, and other schemes in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for businesses remain open for those who need it.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic, including on specific sectors, and to work with businesses and representative groups. This will of course inform the Government’s efforts to support the recovery heading into the autumn.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 22/09/2020 11:08:49 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1233110

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
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	Kickstart Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to target Kickstart Scheme funding to ensure that (1) there are more places available to regions in England with the highest level of youth unemployment, and (2) places on the scheme are targeted at those most struggling to find work.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL7951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p>The Kickstart Scheme is a national scheme which will be available to young people in all areas of the country. We are working closely with partners to ensure support is in place across the UK, that there is a good fit with other national, local and devolved provision, and that Kickstart helps meet the needs of the local labour market. Job Centre Plus Work Coaches will identify those young people most in need of the extra support offered by the Kickstart scheme and direct them towards these placements.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 21/09/2020 14:05:38 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1233111

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Confederation of British Industry: Strategic Trade Advisory Group
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint a representative of the Confederation of British Industry to the Strategic Trade Advisory Group.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL7952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2020 answer text <p>The Strategic Trade Advisory Group (STAG) has recently been through a review and my Department will shortly announce its new membership.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Grimstone of Boscobel question first answered 22/09/2020 11:09:18 answering member 4876 label Biography information for Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1233112

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are currently supportive of the UK becoming a member; and what lobbying activity they are undertaking with those members who are not yet supportive.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL7953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>Pursuing potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a priority for the HM Government and is a key part of our trade negotiations programme. We have engaged with all eleven member countries, at both ministerial and official level. Most recently, on 9th September 2020, my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade addressed a United Kingdom-CPTPP Senior Officials’ meeting and all CPTPP members have welcomed our interest in accession. Prior to that, on 10<sup>th</sup> July 2020, the Secretary of State convened Heads of Mission from all CPTPP countries to discuss the United Kingdom’s potential accession. We will continue to engage all members as we consider our application, an approach that aligns with the accession process for new CPTPP members, which encourages countries to engage informally with every CPTPP member.</p> answering member printed Lord Grimstone of Boscobel question first answered 23/09/2020 12:15:58 answering member 4876 label Biography information for Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1233113

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the governments of (1) Canada, (2) Australia, and (3) New Zealand, about establishing a trading bloc with those nations.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL7954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>The Department for International Trade (DIT) has not had discussions about establishing a trading bloc with Canada, Australia or New Zealand. However, we are committed to negotiating and securing ambitious free trade deals with Australia and New Zealand as soon as possible, harnessing the opportunity to negotiate a high-quality agreement with like-minded, liberal trading nations.</p><p> </p><p>Similarly, both Britain and Canada agree on the importance of protecting and strengthening our trading relationship now that we have left the EU and we are engaging constructively with HM Government of Canada on a seamless transition of our trading relationship beyond 2020, so that British and Canadian businesses can continue to benefit from liberalised trade.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the United Kingdom is also considering accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which Canada, Australia and New Zealand are three members.</p> answering member printed Lord Grimstone of Boscobel question first answered 23/09/2020 13:13:39 answering member 4876 label Biography information for Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1233114

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Local Government: Coronavirus and Devolution
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with leaders of each of the combined authorities in England about (1) further devolution of powers, and (2) increased funding, to aid the economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
uin	HL7955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>Ministers meet regularly with the leaders of the combined authorities in England, both bilaterally and as a group. Forthcoming meetings will include discussions on economic recovery, the Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper, and priorities for the Spending Review.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 16/09/2020 14:03:45 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1233115

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Children: Asylum
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 number of (1) homeless, and (2) unaccompanied child, asylum seekers (a) in total, and (b) in each local authority area.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL7958
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2020 answer text <p><strong>(1) </strong><strong>Homeless</strong></p><p>The Government publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness, and the latest published statistics covering January – March 2020 are available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/910414/DetailedLA_202003.xlsx.</p><p>The number of households that have been initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness can be found in Table A1 in the link below. Tables A5P and A5R show the household composition of those owed a homelessness duty.</p><p><strong>(2) </strong><strong>Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children</strong></p><p>The number of looked after children who are unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are published annually in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions’. The latest data refers to the year ending 31 March 2019 and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019</a>. Figures by local authority are available in table LAA4.</p><p>UASC are not distributed evenly around the country. The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) was established in July 2016 to achieve a more equitable distribution of UASC. We have worked with local government partners to develop proposals to further improve the NTS. On 28 August we launched an informal consultation with local authorities on these proposals.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/09/2020 16:45:24 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Children_looked_after_in_England_2019_Text.pdf title Stats release - "Children looked after:Eng adopt
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

1233116

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Children: Asylum
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional funding is available to local authorities to meet the needs of (1) homeless, and (2) unaccompanied child, asylum seekers; and what plans they have to address the impact of disproportionate patterns of settlement on specific local authority areas.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL7959
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2020 answer text <p><strong>(1) </strong><strong>Homeless</strong></p><p>We provided £4.3 billion to help councils to manage the impacts of COVID-19 which includes their work to support homeless people, including £3.7 billion which is not ringfenced, and £600 million to support social care and a further £3.2 million in emergency funding for local authorities to support vulnerable rough sleepers.</p><p>On 18 July, we launched the Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP). This makes available the financial resources needed to support local authorities and their partners to prevent people from returning to the streets. The NSAP is made up of two sources of funding: £161 million to deliver 3,300 units of longer-term move-on accommodation in 2020/2021; and £105 million of additional funding to pay for immediate support to ensure that people do not return to the streets.</p><p>£23 million will be provided so that vulnerable individuals experiencing rough sleeping, including those currently in emergency accommodation as a response to COVID-19, can access the specialist help they need for substance dependency issues, in order to rebuild their lives and move towards work and education. This funding is part of the £262 million funding announced at Spring Budget 2020.</p><p>274 local councils will share £91.5 million of government funding to ensure interim accommodation and support for the most vulnerable people, including by helping people into the private rented sector, secure interim accommodation such as supported housing, and assess the wider support these people need in order to rebuild their lives. An additional £13.5 million fund will be used to enable local authorities to tackle new or emerging challenges.</p><p><strong>(2) </strong><strong>Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children</strong></p><p>In addition to the money paid to local authorities through the local government finance settlement the Home Office provides additional funding contributions to the costs incurred by local authorities looking after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and former UASC care leavers. Increases to these contributions for 2020-21 were announced on 8 June.</p><p>For each former UASC care leaver supported, local authorities now receive £240 per person per week. This represented a 60% increase to the lowest rate that was previously paid.</p><p>Local authorities supporting UASC totalling 0.07% or greater of their general child population receive £143 per person per night for each UASC. All other local authorities receive £114 per person per night for each UASC in their care.</p><p>The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) was established in July 2016 to achieve a more balanced distribution of UASC. The scheme was initially successful, achieving nearly 900 voluntary transfers of UASC from entry local authorities between July 2016 and December 2018.</p><p>More recently the NTS has not been working as intended and there is a need to achieve a more equitable distribution of UASC. We have therefore worked with local government partners to develop proposals to further improve the NTS. On 28 August we launched an informal consultation with local authorities on these proposals.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/09/2020 16:49:43 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

1233117

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
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 role of voluntary organisations in meeting the needs of asylum seekers in terms of the supply of (1) accommodation, (2) food, and (3) other essential items, where there is no eligibility or access on the part of individual asylum seekers to public funds; and how they consult such organisations to inform their understanding of (1) the nature of unmet needs, and (2) the impact on affected individuals and local services, of asylum seekers.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL7960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>In March the Home Office set up a dedicated engagement channel with the Voluntary and Community sector on asylum and resettlement matters related to Covid-19. The British Red Cross were nominated by the sector as the single point of contact, and they were provided with a dedicated single point of contact within the Home Office. This allowed the Home Office to better understand the impact of Covid-19 on affected individuals and local services, and to work collaboratively with the sector to keep people safe. At the request of the sector, we have returned to a business as usual approach, but are continuing to speak regularly with relevant organisations.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free accommodation and other assistance to cover their essential living needs.</p><p> </p><p>The accommodation is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. There was extensive consultation with the voluntary sector about these arrangements before the contracts were let. Support to cover essential living needs is generally proved through a weekly cash allowance, currently set as £39.60 for each person in the household. The level of the allowance is reviewed annually, and voluntary groups are invited to submit their views.</p><p> </p><p>Discussion about on-going matters generally takes place through the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum, which includes key voluntary groups such as the Refugee Council, Refugee Action and the British Red Cross.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office engages with non-government organisations (NGOs) on the needs of asylum seekers primarily through the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF). This consists of two Strategic Engagement Groups (SEG), one for asylum and one for resettlement. Underpinned by NASF Sub-Groups; including groups focused on asylum decision making, asylum support, integration and mental health. These forums provide a strategic and constructive space for discussion and consultation on asylum and resettlement matters, identifying areas where the Home Office and stakeholders can work jointly to make improvements to the asylum and resettlement systems and their underpinning policies and processes. SEG and NASF meetings are held quarterly and are jointly chaired by senior Home Office officials and their NGO counterparts.</p><p> </p><p>The last Asylum SEG was held on 11 June 2020, the next being 17 September 2020. Immigration ministers have met with NGOs previously, such as Caroline Noakes, the then Immigration Minister, in July 2019.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Home Office regularly engages with the sector through informal routes such as bilateral or small group meetings.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL7961 question first answered 23/09/2020 15:09:53 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

1233118

registered interest
date	09/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when Ministers last met representatives of voluntary organisations working to meet the needs of asylum seekers to discuss the concerns such organisations have about the impact of the Government's policies on asylum seekers and the communities in which they are based; and which (1) Ministers, and (2) Departments, were involved in any such meetings.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL7961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>In March the Home Office set up a dedicated engagement channel with the Voluntary and Community sector on asylum and resettlement matters related to Covid-19. The British Red Cross were nominated by the sector as the single point of contact, and they were provided with a dedicated single point of contact within the Home Office. This allowed the Home Office to better understand the impact of Covid-19 on affected individuals and local services, and to work collaboratively with the sector to keep people safe. At the request of the sector, we have returned to a business as usual approach, but are continuing to speak regularly with relevant organisations.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free accommodation and other assistance to cover their essential living needs.</p><p> </p><p>The accommodation is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. There was extensive consultation with the voluntary sector about these arrangements before the contracts were let. Support to cover essential living needs is generally proved through a weekly cash allowance, currently set as £39.60 for each person in the household. The level of the allowance is reviewed annually, and voluntary groups are invited to submit their views.</p><p> </p><p>Discussion about on-going matters generally takes place through the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum, which includes key voluntary groups such as the Refugee Council, Refugee Action and the British Red Cross.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office engages with non-government organisations (NGOs) on the needs of asylum seekers primarily through the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF). This consists of two Strategic Engagement Groups (SEG), one for asylum and one for resettlement. Underpinned by NASF Sub-Groups; including groups focused on asylum decision making, asylum support, integration and mental health. These forums provide a strategic and constructive space for discussion and consultation on asylum and resettlement matters, identifying areas where the Home Office and stakeholders can work jointly to make improvements to the asylum and resettlement systems and their underpinning policies and processes. SEG and NASF meetings are held quarterly and are jointly chaired by senior Home Office officials and their NGO counterparts.</p><p> </p><p>The last Asylum SEG was held on 11 June 2020, the next being 17 September 2020. Immigration ministers have met with NGOs previously, such as Caroline Noakes, the then Immigration Minister, in July 2019.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Home Office regularly engages with the sector through informal routes such as bilateral or small group meetings.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL7960 question first answered 23/09/2020 15:09:53 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng