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1356432

registered interest
date	16/09/2021
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Vaccination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to facilitate an emergency meeting of the G7 to address the (1) hoarding, and (2) wasting, of COVID-19 vaccines by developed countries.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2807
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2021 answer text <p>The UK continues to work with our G7 partners to implement the vaccines commitments made at the G7 Leaders' Summit and to coordinate further international efforts, including ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Rome 30-31 October, to support our shared goal of global vaccination from COVID-19.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 29/09/2021 11:13:03 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1349340

registered interest
date	21/07/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Insolvency: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Christians Against Poverty Shipshape or sinking ship?, published on 21 July, what plans they have to remove insolvency fees for individuals with insufficient surplus income.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2021 answer text <p>There are no immediate plans to review the bankruptcy application or Debt Relief Order (DRO) fees. Where the fee is an issue, assistance is already available to allow a debtor to pay in instalments prior to the making of the bankruptcy order or DRO. In addition, some charities offer help with paying the fee.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has announced that it will be conducting a review of the personal insolvency framework in due course to ensure that it continues to be fit for purpose.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 28/07/2021 15:13:50 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1349341

registered interest
date	21/07/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Christians Against Poverty Shipshape or sinking ship?, published on 21 July, what plans they have to annually assess levels of financial wellbeing across the UK.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2274
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises that the full impact of COVID-19 on people’s personal finances is still unfolding, and that some are struggling with their finances during these challenging times. The Government is committed to helping people improve their financial wellbeing, and is working with stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors on these issues.</p><p> </p><p>In 2020, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arms-length body of Government, published the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing, which sets out five goals to improve financial wellbeing in the UK by 2030. These include increasing the number of children and young people receiving a meaningful financial education, encouraging saving, decreasing the number of people often using credit for food and bills, increasing the number of people accessing debt advice, and helping people plan for later life. It also includes cross-cutting workstreams focusing on gender, mental health, and wellbeing in the workplace.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also works closely with Fair4All Finance, an independent body which was founded in 2019 to improve the financial wellbeing of those who are financially vulnerable through fair and affordable financial products and services. Since 2019, the Government has provided £96 million of dormant asset funding towards financial inclusion, which are being distributed by Fair4All Finance.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has close and regular engagement with the financial services regulators on issues which contribute to financial wellbeing. For example, in February 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its finalised guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers. The Government is supportive of recent FCA work on vulnerable customers.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, at Budget 2021, the government announced up to £3.8m for a pilot No-Interest Loans Scheme to support vulnerable consumers who would benefit from affordable credit to meet unexpected costs as an alternative to relying on high-cost credit.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the Government considers financial inclusion and capability as key determinants of financial wellbeing. The Government reports annually on progress made on financial inclusion through the Financial Inclusion Report. Furthermore, MaPS monitors levels of financial capability in the UK through the Financial Capability Survey, a nationally representative survey of adults living in the UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 03/08/2021 11:49:27 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1349342

registered interest
date	21/07/2021
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Christians Against Poverty Shipshape or sinking ship?, published on 21 July, what plans they have to review whether social security meets (1) the basic cost of living, and (2) the Eatwell Guide.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2275
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2021 answer text <p>Statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income and material deprivation, including by receipt of benefit, are set out in the annual &quot;Households Below Average Income&quot; publication.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit (UC) awards are formed of a Standard Allowance, paid according to age and family status, plus help with eligible housing costs, which can then be supplemented with additional elements for groups recognised as having additional needs, such as parents, disabled people and carers. The rates of benefit are not determined by individuals' living costs.</p><p> </p><p>This Government firmly believes that people should be free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in light of their individual needs and preferences. Everyone’s requirements vary and to attempt to base rates upon personal expenditure of individual recipients would produce an unfair and unsustainable system.</p><p> </p><p>UC is a personalised system without the ‘cliff edges’ featured across legacy benefits, where money was lost when working more than 16, 24 and 30 hours. UC makes work pay by introducing a smoother, more transparent reduction of benefits at a consistent and predictable rate when people move into work and increase their earnings. A single taper, of 63 per cent per £1 is applied as earnings rise.</p><p> </p><p>We have expanded the Holiday Activities and Food programme to all children in every local authority in England, covering Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021. We also expanded Healthy Start payments from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from April 2021, to ensure pregnant women and children under 4 have access to basic food and vitamins.</p><p> </p><p>We take the issue of food insecurity seriously, which is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 19/20 and these questions remain in the survey for 20/21. Statistics on levels of food insecure households covering 2019/20, can be found on Gov.uk.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/08/2021 13:46:22 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1349343

registered interest
date	21/07/2021
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	Affordable Housing: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow local planning authorities in rural communities to (1) set the threshold for affordable housing, and (2) decide the tenure for affordable housing.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2276
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2021 answer text <p>This Government believes that meeting the housing needs of rural communities is important. We’re increasing the supply of affordable housing and investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, should economic conditions allow. <br> <br> Since April 2010, over 190,000 affordable homes have been provided in rural local authorities in England. And between April 2015 and March 2020, 11% of new build additional Affordable Homes have been delivered in villages with a population of fewer than 3000, and we recognise the importance of these settlements for both economic and housing growth. <br> <br> The Government has given councils a comprehensive range of tools to deliver a new generation of council housing and have a key role in the delivery of affordable housing:</p><ul><li>A package of reforms that give local authorities increased flexibility over how they can spend their Right to Buy receipts on replacement homes. This package will make it easier for authorities to fund homes using Right to Buy receipts including homes for social rent; allow authorities greater flexibility over the types of homes they provide to reflect the needs of their communities; give authorities more time to use receipts and to develop ambitious build programmes; and make sure more new build replacements are delivered instead of acquisitions, contributing to net supply.</li><li>Government abolished the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap in 2018, enabling local authorities to borrow for building.</li><li>In terms of planning, national policy is clear that affordable housing contributions should not be sought for developments of fewer than 10 units. This is to ensure that a disproportionate burden of developer contributions is not placed on Small and Medium-sized builders. In designated rural areas policies may set out a lower threshold of five units or fewer.</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 03/08/2021 12:04:02 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1347584

registered interest
date	15/07/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Families
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to preserve the right of familial reunification for asylum seekers regardless of the route of entry into the UK as part of the New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2021 answer text <p>We have a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in-line with our international obligations. But we have been clear that individuals in need of protection should avoid making dangerous journeys and claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety. The Nationality and Borders Bill will set up a range of measures to deter people from undertaking dangerous journeys via unauthorised routes.</p><p>As set out in the New Plan for Immigration, we are committed to review the refugee family reunion rules. Refugee family reunion will only be permitted where refusing would be a breach of our international obligations. In practice, this means refugees will be able to sponsor their spouse or partner and under-18 children if they can show there are insurmountable obstacles to their relationship continuing anywhere other than the UK and it is in the child’s best interests.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL2104 question first answered 28/07/2021 14:35:40 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1347585

registered interest
date	15/07/2021
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 plans they have to increase the number of safe routes into the country for those seeking asylum.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2103
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2021 answer text <p>Since 2015 we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees through safe and legal resettlement routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children. In addition to this our current family reunion policy has welcomed over 29,000 individuals to the UK in the last 5 years. The UK continues to welcome people through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), as well as through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Resettlement Schemes and our refugee family reunion policy. This commitment, alongside a fair but firm asylum system, will ensure we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees in need of protection.</p><p>The New Plan for Immigration will strengthen safe and legal protection routes to the UK by ensuring our resettlement schemes are accessible and fair, resettling refugees from countries where the need is greatest, increasing the integration support of those we welcome, increasing opportunities for community participation in resettlement, supporting access to work visas for highly skilled displaced people and providing more flexibility to help people in truly exceptional and compelling circumstances.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 28/07/2021 14:37:40 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1347586

registered interest
date	15/07/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March, what assessment they have made of the risk of unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK via unauthorised routes for the purposes of reunification with relatives who previously entered through unauthorised routes.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2104
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2021 answer text <p>We have a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in-line with our international obligations. But we have been clear that individuals in need of protection should avoid making dangerous journeys and claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety. The Nationality and Borders Bill will set up a range of measures to deter people from undertaking dangerous journeys via unauthorised routes.</p><p>As set out in the New Plan for Immigration, we are committed to review the refugee family reunion rules. Refugee family reunion will only be permitted where refusing would be a breach of our international obligations. In practice, this means refugees will be able to sponsor their spouse or partner and under-18 children if they can show there are insurmountable obstacles to their relationship continuing anywhere other than the UK and it is in the child’s best interests.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL2102 question first answered 28/07/2021 14:35:40 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1347587

registered interest
date	15/07/2021
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	Broadband: Rural Areas
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 effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of OpenRAN (1) as part of their gigabit capable broad rollout, (2) in increasing connectivity to rural communities, and (3) in extending connectivity to rural ‘notspots’.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2105
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2021 answer text <p>The Government continues to explore the role of interoperable technologies, such as Open RAN, in the future of our telecommunications networks as part of the 5G Supply Chain <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/5g-supply-chain-diversification-strategy/5g-supply-chain-diversification-strategy" target="_blank">Diversification Strategy</a>, published in November last year and here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/5g-supply-chain-diversification-strategy/5g-supply-chain-diversification-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/5g-supply-chain-diversification-strategy/5g-supply-chain-diversification-strategy</a> . Open RAN is still a nascent technology which promises efficiency and flexibility gains, and the Government is supporting its development as part of the telecoms diversification agenda, including through the £30m Future RAN Competition (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/future-ran-diversifying-the-5g-supply-chain" target="_blank">FRANC</a>).</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government is extending connectivity to rural areas - both mobile and full fibre. Project Gigabit recognises Fixed Wireless Access as a potential gigabit-capable technology, which can provide a broadband connection via infrastructure also used for mobile networks. Furthermore, the Shared Rural Network programme will bring 4G coverage to 95% of the UK by 2025 - including total not-spots. We expect Open RAN to play an ever larger role in 5G mobile networks and beyond; these technologies are capable of reaching gigabit speeds and may support the Government's ambition to connect at least 85% of UK premises to gigabit speeds by 2025.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government also welcomed the <a href="https://www.vodafone.com/news/press-release/vodafone-europe-first-commercial-open-ran-network" target="_blank">news</a> from Vodafone that it will be supplying large parts of Wales and the South West of England with Open RAN technology, and that deployment will start in rural areas.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 22/07/2021 12:46:50 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1345657

registered interest
date	12/07/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Nuclear Weapons
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to part 3.1 of the policy paper Global Britain in a Competitive Age, the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March, what "doctrinal threats" they believe would warrant a nuclear response.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL1918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2021 answer text <p>I can assure the Rt. Rev Prelate the Lord Bishop that the UK would consider using nuclear weapons only in the most extreme circumstances of self-defence, including the defence of our NATO Allies. While our resolve and capability to do so if necessary is beyond doubt, to avoid simplifying the calculations of potential adversaries, we will remain deliberately ambiguous about precisely when, how and at what scale we would contemplate the use of our nuclear weapons.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 23/07/2021 09:43:46 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans