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 printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1200266

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Married People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they intend (1) to reduce, (2) to waive, or (3) to eliminate, the minimum income requirement for UK citizens wishing to bring a foreign spouse or partner (and where relevant children) to the UK in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular for loss of income as a result of the lockdown to be accounted for in calculating the income requirement.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5156
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the situation closely and take these exceptional circumstances into account.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure a spouse or partner and relevant dependent children applying for entry clearance, leave to remain or indefinite leave are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control, for the purpose of the minimum income requirement:</p><p> </p><ul><li>A temporary loss of employment income between 1 March and 31 July 2020 due to COVID-19, will be disregarded provided the requirement was met for at least six months up to March 2020.</li><li>An applicant or sponsor furloughed under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be deemed as earning 100% of their salary.</li><li>A temporary loss of annual income due to COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 will generally be disregarded for self-employment income, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications. Income received via the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will also be taken into account.</li><li>Evidential flexibility may be applied where an applicant or sponsor experiences difficulty accessing specified evidence due to COVID-19 restrictions.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The minimum income requirement can also be met in several ways in addition to or instead of income from employment or self-employment. For example, income from investments, property rental or pension may also be taken into account, together with cash savings.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 18/06/2020 11:03:02 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1200267

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Railways: Europe
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, following the expansion of sleeper train services in continental Europe, what plans they have to link up with such services and to provide direct night train services from Northern England and Scotland to continental destinations.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>International passenger rail services provide a number of benefits for passengers, businesses and the wider economy, including environmental benefits. The Government supports the future growth and success of international passenger rail and would welcome the development of potential sleeper services from across Great Britain to continental destinations, linking up with European services.</p><p> </p><p>To that end, the Department for Transport has engaged with UK and European partners to encourage the future growth of international passenger rail services. Officials stand ready to further engage with any potential operators of new international services, including sleeper services, where they have a proposition they wish to explore.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 17/06/2020 15:23:51 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1200268

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: ICT
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how many (1) computers or tablets, and (2) WiFi routers they have supplied to (a) pupils in care, (b) Year 10 pupils, and (c) those being supported by social workers, in line with their announcement of plans to do so on 19 April.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5158
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The government is providing laptops and tablets to vulnerable and disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker, including pre-school children, or are a care leaver. The government is also providing over 50,000 4G wireless routers to care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in year 10 who do not have internet connections.</p><p>The department has also partnered with BT to give 10,000 young people free access to BT WiFi hotspots, who do not have access to good internet by other means.</p><p>Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and distribute the laptops and tablets to children and young people who need devices. The Department invited local authorities to order devices for the most vulnerable children first - children with a social worker and care leavers.</p><p>Devices are being delivered to local authorities daily and will continue to be distributed throughout June as planned.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 17/06/2020 10:58:02 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1200269

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Renewable Energy
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, following the decision of the High Court which found that their consent for two gas-power units at Drax followed legal procedures, what plans they have to review their consent for these facilities to account for any increased role of renewable electricity generation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>There are no plans to review the consent granted on 4 October 2019 for the Drax Power Station Re-Powering Project.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 17/06/2020 15:03:49 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1200270

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Water Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, following reports that Wolverhampton and Shropshire face failure of their water supplies, what steps they are taking to reduce demand and leakage, and to secure supplies, both in the short term in response to dry weather and high usage reportedly due to lockdown, and in the longer term.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL5160
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The current water supply issues in Wolverhampton and Shropshire are due to constraints in Severn Trent Water's distribution network, and not a lack of available water. Severn Trent Water has responded to the issue by asking customers to use water wisely to reduce demand. The CEO of Severn Trent Water attended the National Drought Group chaired by the Environment Agency on 5 June 2020 to discuss the current risks and approaches to the dry weather and water demand management.</p><p> </p><p>If the company has issues with available water resources it will activate its statutory Drought Plan to manage the situation. In the long term, the water company will need to assess how it manages its supply and demand, including proactively reducing leakage and managing demand through its statutory Water Resources Management Plan. In addition, through its business plan that it submits to Ofwat it will need to assess whether it has the correct infrastructure to cope with future demands from customers.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 17/06/2020 13:14:00 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1197847

registered interest
date	21/05/2020
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	Fruit and Vegetables: Production
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 availability of a diverse range of UK-grown vegetables and fruit in areas local to their production.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the crucial role the UK's horticulture industry plays in both feeding the country and in promoting people's health and wellbeing. The UK has the climate, the landscape, and entrepreneurial farmers and growers to enable us to produce world-class fruit and vegetables.</p><p> </p><p>We are proud of our growing food reputation. Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs), whether they be for beef from Scotland, lamb from Wales or asparagus from the Vale of Evesham in England, play an important role as exemplars of our quality produce. We are committed to celebrating the success of these regional and traditional products whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed, along with driving further market access to make sure they are enjoyed here and around the world.</p><p> </p><p>We will always champion our farmers and growers, supporting them to grow more of our great British food and to provide a reliable and sustainable food supply to the British public. This includes through using powers under our landmark Agriculture Bill, and through our work with the Food and Drink Sector Council, a formal industry partnership with the Government, helping to create a more productive and sustainable food and drink sector.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has a high degree of food security, built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. Half of the food we eat is produced in the UK. The rest of our food is imported, with 30% coming from the EU and 20% from other countries. The UK's current production to supply ratio is 75% for indigenous-type foods and 61% for all foods. We produce 61% - 75% of our food supply, but some of that is exported.</p><p> </p><p>Under the current EU State Aid rules we have been unable to promote our home produced food and drink to the domestic market in Government sponsored campaigns nationally. However, we continue to work with regional food groups to showcase their top-quality produce locally; tying this up where we can with stakeholder initiatives (such as those of the AHDB), focussing on provenance and the UKs world-leading standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 05/06/2020 12:33:51 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1197848

registered interest
date	21/05/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) maintain the extension of housing provision for newly recognised refugees to three months, introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a permanent measure, and (2) ensure financial support for such refugees whilst they wait for receipt of Universal Credit payments.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2020 answer text <p>As part of the Government’s response to the pandemic, newly recognised refugees are not currently being asked to leave asylum accommodation. We will be reviewing the policy before the end of June, but there are no plans to make the arrangement permanent. When normal arrangements resume, the refugees will receive notice that they are no longer eligible to receive asylum support after a 28 days “grace period” and assisted to transition to mainstream benefits and housing services if they wish to apply for them.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 04/06/2020 13:36:49 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1197849

registered interest
date	21/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the policy of publishing standalone Sustainable MOD annual reports to ensure that the records of all military greenhouse gas emissions each year are easily accessible.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4814
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2020 answer text <p>Ministry of Defence greenhouse gas emissions and performance against targets are reported in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 05/06/2020 10:16:31 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1197850

registered interest
date	21/05/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Arms Trade: Coronavirus
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 impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) future UK arms sales, and (2) existing arms contracts.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2020 answer text <p>It is not yet clear what the full impact will be of the Covid-19 outbreak on existing Ministry of Defence contracts, although it is inevitable that there will be some repercussions. We remain closely engaged with our strategic suppliers to monitor and understand the impact of Covid-19 on defence during this critical time.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for International Trade's Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO) has not made a formal assessment on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on future UK arms sales or existing arms contracts. DIT DSO remains in close contact with industry and is actively monitoring the situation through its Industry Engagement Plan. DIT DSO will continue to support UK defence and security industries to export, post COVID-19.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 05/06/2020 10:17:00 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1197851

registered interest
date	21/05/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce saliva rather than swab testing for COVID-19 for (1) the general population, and (2) vulnerable groups that might find the swab test particularly difficult including (a) children, and (b) patients with dementia or other cognitive impairments.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4816
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2020 answer text <p>To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet <em>Testing – note for House of Lords</em> which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 29/07/2020 15:06:25 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell attachment 1 file name Testing - note for House of Lords.pdf title Testing information factsheet
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle